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A History | Revolutionary War Battles | The Battle of Stony Point - July 15, 1779
The Battle of Stony Point - July 15, 1779
By 1778, the war had settled into a stalemate. Washington was encamped around British-occupied New York. The British
were unable to attack Washington, and New York was too strongly defended for Washington to attack. In the meantime, a
war of plunder took place, with British troops taking part in various attacks on civilians that began to turn even
many of the royalist supporters against them. General Conway, speaking to the House of Commons in 1779, stated: O the
robe and the mitre animating us in concert t massacre, we plunged ourselves into rivers of blood, spreading terror,
devastation, and death over the whole continents of America; exhausting ourselves at home became the objective of
horror in the eyes of indignant Europe! It was our reverend prelates who led on this dance, which may be justly
styled the dance of death!Such is the horrid war which we have maintained for five years." In May 1779, General
Clinton led his troops up the Hudson River, capturing the fort at Stony Point as well as the one at Verplanck. In
response, Washington personally prepared an assault to retake Stony Point. In the early morning hours of July 15th,
three columns of continental soldiers, 1200 men in all, converged on the fort. The fort was swiftly overwhelmed. Fifteen
American soldiers were killed and 83 were wounded. Of the redcoats troops, 63 were killed, 74 were wounded and 543 were
taken prisoner.
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