Jacob Miller
At 22 years of age, Jacob Miller took up arms in the fight for independence. Jacob enlisted in July of 1775 in Northampton County, in the State of Pennsylvania. It was there, that he joined the 1st Pennsylvanian Regiment and served in a company commanded by Captain Charles Craig. Jacob served with this company for one year, after which he was regularly discharged. Immediately following his discharge, Jacob enlisted in the newly formed Baxter 's Battalion. General George Washington met with the Continental Congress to determine future strategies for the military, following the British evacuation of Boston during March of 1776. He was faced with defending vast amounts of territory from British advances. …show more content…
Due to the amount of troops involved, it was to be the largest battle of the war. Unfortunately, the battle would end up being a defeat for the Continental Army. After defeating the British at the Siege of Boston in March of the same year, General Washington moved the bulk of the Continental Army to defend the important port city of New York. Washington thought it crucial to maintain control of the harbor, as it would provide an excellent base for the British Navy, should the city fall to the British. In July, General Howe began landing British troops on nearby Staten Island, and slowly began building up British forces in the area. Soon the British fleet was in control of the entrance to the harbor. General Washington knew this blockade would lead to difficulty in holding the city. Due to his belief that Manhattan would be the initial target, Washington proceeded to move the majority of his troops …show more content…
The fort had a normal garrison of about 1,200 men but grew to 3,000 as defeated forces began consolidating at Fort Washington. General Washington felt that it would be best to abandon the fort and issued an order to General Nathanael Greene to abandon the fort at his discretion. However, the commander of the fort, Robert Magaw, declined to do so as he felt he could defend it from the British, vowing to “defend it to the last man.” On November 16th 1776, General Howe began his attack on Fort Washington. The fort was subjected to a three prong attack, involving both British and Hessian soldiers. This attack was aided by the fact that one of Magaw 's own officers, William Demont, had deserted on November 2nd and provided Howe with detailed plans of Fort Washington. Despite offering stiff resistance, the attack was too much for the Patriot forces to withstand. The fort was now surrounded on both land and sea. Faced with the grim reality, Magaw chose to surrender to the British. This battle led to 59 patriots being killed and 2,838 taken as prisoners of