Lt. Col. Knowlton Falls at Harlem Heights (16 SEP 1776)

Before dawn on Sept. 16, 1776, Lt. Col Thomas Knowlton and his company of rangers rode out on patrol in the area of Harlem Heights, New York, to locate British positions and report their strength and movements to General George Washington. Inadvertently triggering what became the Battle of Harlem Heights, Knowlton died in the young Continental Army’s first victory over the British regulars.

Born in 1740, Thomas Knowlton enlisted at the age of sixteen and served with British colonial forces during the French and Indian War and even in the 1762 siege of Havana, Cuba, during England’s conflict with Spain. Thereafter, he settled into the quiet life of a farmer in Connecticut. Following the battles at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Knowlton returned to military service in command of the Ashford Company of the Connecticut militia. The 35-year-old captain, an imposing presence at six feet tall, earned renown and the favorable regard of Washington for his actions at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June that year. On Jan. 1, 1776, Knowlton received his commission as a major of the 20th Continental Infantry. Eight days later, on Washington’s orders, Knowlton made a daring raid against the British in Charlestown, burning British quarters and taking five captives of the British guard.

Washington, who had a keen understanding of the need for actionable intelligence, created and relied heavily throughout the war on spies and scouts to obtain the information he required. Sometime in the summer of 1776, Washington requested that Knowlton form a unit of rangers to conduct tactical reconnaissance near British lines. The exact date of Washington’s request is unknown. As early as mid-July, Knowlton had reconnoitered Staten Island for Brig. Gen. Hugh Mercer to determine if a surprise raid on enemy quarters there “was advisable.” While this event suggests Knowlton had already been tagged for the “special, delicate, and hazardous duty” of tactical reconnaissance, other sources put Washington’s desire for Knowlton to establish a unit—Knowlton’s Rangers— to conduct these types of missions somewhere between Aug. 12 (the date of Knowlton’s promotion to lieutenant colonel) and early September.

Following the Continental Army’s devastating defeat at the Battle of Long Island in late August, Washington moved his headquarters to Harlem Heights. On Sept. 15, he was disheartened to learn the British had disembarked forces at nearby Kip’s Bay. The next day, desperate to know their intentions and strength, Washington reported that he “sent out some reconnoitering parties to gain Intelligence if possible, of the disposition of the Enemy.” This was a reference to the 120 men of Knowlton’s Rangers, all volunteers hand-picked primarily from Connecticut and Massachusetts regiments, who had been sent out before dawn to patrol a small field near the British camp.

As they neared the enemy camp, the Rangers surprised some British pickets, who sounded the alarm. The Rangers soon found themselves in a firefight with about 400 light infantry. Although outnumbered three to one, the Rangers stalled the British for half an hour. Realizing his small force was about to be outflanked, Knowlton ordered a withdrawal. As both British and American reinforcements arrived, the skirmish escalated into a full-scale battle. Exposing himself to the enemy, Knowlton received a mortal bullet wound to his lower back. One of Knowlton’s officers reported some of Knowlton’s last words as “I do not value my Life if we do but get the day.” His sacrifice was not in vain, for indeed, the Americans did win the day after forcing the British to retreat. The next day, Washington personally mourned the death of “the gallant and brave Col. Knowlton, who would have been an honor to any country.” Knowlton was buried with military honors near the Harlem Heights battleground.

Knowlton’s Rangers endured for two more months under a succession of commanders. On Nov. 16, the unit was providing security at Fort Washington when the garrison was surrendered to the British. The remaining rangers were captured and imprisoned on ships in the New York harbor. While the “1776” on the Army Intelligence Seal represents the formation of the 2nd Continental Dragoons—a reconnaissance and intelligence gathering organization authorized by the Continental Congress—Knowlton’s Rangers clearly deserve attention as one of Washington’s earliest ad hoc intelligence-gathering organizations.

Article by Lori S. Stewart, USAICoE Command Historian. New issues of This Week in MI History are published each week. To report story errors, ask questions, request previous articles, or be added to our distribution list, please contact: TR-ICoE-Command-Historian@army.mil.

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