. The American Revolution . dvance of 5,000 men, under Putnam, into NewJersey, where they encamped near Hackensack;he sent Heath up to Peekskill, with 3,000 men, toguard the entrance to the Highlands ; and he leftLee at North Castle, with 7,000 men, and orderedhim to coopei-ate with him promptly in whateverdirection, as soon as the nature of Howes plansshould become apparent. As Forts Washingtonand Lee detained a large force in garrison, while^ ,. , they ha-d shown themselves unable to Washingtons J omeimlr-^ prcveut ships from passing up the river,gency. there was no longer any use in holding
. The American Revolution . dvance of 5,000 men, under Putnam, into NewJersey, where they encamped near Hackensack;he sent Heath up to Peekskill, with 3,000 men, toguard the entrance to the Highlands ; and he leftLee at North Castle, with 7,000 men, and orderedhim to coopei-ate with him promptly in whateverdirection, as soon as the nature of Howes plansshould become apparent. As Forts Washingtonand Lee detained a large force in garrison, while^ ,. , they ha-d shown themselves unable to Washingtons J omeimlr-^ prcveut ships from passing up the river,gency. there was no longer any use in holding them. Nay, they had now become dangerous, astraps in which the garrisons and stores might besuddenly surrounded and captured. Washingtonaccordingly resolved to evacuate them both, while,to allay the fears of Congress in the event of adescent from Canada, he ordered Heath to fortifythe much more important position at West Point. Had Washingtons orders been obeyed and hisplans carried out, history might still have recorded. OPERATIONS IN NEV/ YORK AND NEW JERSEY?776-77 FIRST BLOyV AT THE CENTRE. 219 a retreat through the Jerseys, but how differenta retreat from that which was now congress med-about to take place I The officious in- gtu^t^o,^andterference of Congress, a venial error ^^o^ »•of judgment on the part of Greene, and gross in-subordination on the part of Lee, occurring all to-gether at this critical moment, brought about thegreatest disaster of the war, and came within anace of overwhelming the American cause in totaland irretrievable ruin. Washiugton instructedGreene, who now commanded both fortresses, towithdraw the garrison and stores from Fort Wash-ington, and to make arrangements for evacuatingFort Lee also. At the same time he did not givea positive order, but left the matter somewhatwithin Greenes discretion, in case military cir-cumstances of an unforeseen kind should , while Washington had gone up to recon-noitre the site for the new fortress at W
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