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A few weeks ago I shared with you the testimony of Oliver Burnham, one of Knowlton’s Rangers, about what they were doing on the day Fort Washington fell:
We remained until the sixteenth of November in this situation (“near Harlem”) when we were warmly engaged on all sides. We were about two miles below the fort and well sustained the attack until the enemy made good their landing across Harlem River, when we had hard fighting to reach the fort.
He went onto tell the rest of the story:
Just as we had reached the gate, the flag went out and surrendered the fort and ourselves prisoners of war.
This was the end of Knowlton’s Rangers. Some had already left to return to their original detachments following the death of Lt. Colonel Thomas Knowtlon, but those who remained became prisoners of war when Fort Washington was surrendered.
Most unlucky timing indeed.
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