]

Forts Clinton and Montgomery were under the command of General
James Clinton, brother of the recently-elected Governor George
Clinton of New York, at this moment attending a session of the
legislature at Kingston. Hearing of the approach of the British
against the forts, he adjourned the legislature and hastened to
his brother’s assistance with such militia as he could gather.

This completes the convocation of the Clintons in this engagement;
Sir Henry Clinton, in command of the British forces, General James
Clinton, in command of the two western forts; and Governor George
Clinton, hastening to the aid of brother James at Fort Clinton.

The approach of the British caused General Putnam to place his
Continentals on the eastern shore behind Peekskill and to bring
over from the western shore a large force to reinforce his own.
The British galleys advanced far enough up the river to prevent
communication between the two American bodies, and it then became
plain that it had been the hope of the English commander to cause
the Americans to divide their forces by making a feint at the
eastern shore where Putnam supposed that the strength of the
British would be. The Americans had played into his hands. On the
morning of the 6th of October Sir Henry Clinton landed his main
forces on the western shore, and by sending a detachment around
Dunderberg Mountain managed to attack Forts Clinton and Montgomery
from the rear while another force engaged them from the south.

The result of this engagement was that while the Americans fought
pluckily they were overcome by the British, with a loss of 250
killed, wounded and missing, as opposed to the British casualty
list of 40 killed and 150 wounded, and that the two western forts
fell into the hands of the English. The boom and chain across the
river were destroyed, and the British fleet sailed up the river and
attacked Fort Constitution on Constitution Island opposite West
Point. Fort Constitution was hastily abandoned.

Such a signal success on Sir Henry Clinton’s part shou