“The Capture of Fort Washington, New York, Described by Captain Andreas Wiederhold, of the Hessian ‘Regiment Knyphausen’” (1899), published in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, presents a short translated and edited eyewitness account of the British-Hessian assault on Fort Washington during the American Revolutionary War.
The source is based on the recollections of Captain Andreas Wiederhold, an officer serving in the Hessian contingent of the British army, specifically within the Regiment Knyphausen, drawn from the forces of the Electorate of Hesse. His account describes the coordinated attack on Fort Washington in November 1776, one of the major British victories in the New York campaign.
The narrative focuses on the assault operations against American defensive positions on northern Manhattan. Wiederhold describes the multi-pronged advance of British and auxiliary German troops, the engagement with Continental Army defenders, and the eventual collapse of the American position. The account emphasizes the intensity of close combat, the coordination of attacking columns, and the eventual surrender of the fort’s garrison.
A notable aspect of the description is the integration of Hessian troops into the overall British assault plan. The Regiment Knyphausen is presented as actively engaged in frontline operations, reflecting the role of German auxiliary forces as assault infantry within British expeditionary warfare in North America.
The article situates the capture of Fort Washington within the broader campaign for control of New York City, following earlier British victories on Long Island and subsequent operations to secure Manhattan. It highlights the strategic importance of the fort as the last major Continental stronghold on the island and its fall as a decisive moment in the 1776 campaign.
Published in a historical society journal format, the piece is presented as a translated primary source with editorial framing to assist readers in contextualizing the account within the established chronology of the New York campaign.
