A Republic in Motion

Campaign map · Episode 3 and beyond

New York and New Jersey, July 1776–January 1777

Read the campaign as a struggle over waterways, roads, ferries, forts, occupied places, and the survival of a field army—not as arrows floating over empty land.

Show stages
New York and New Jersey campaign, July 1776 to January 1777A schematic geographic map showing British and allied arrival and advance in red, Continental retreat and counterstrokes in blue, major battles and forts, the Hudson, East, and Delaware rivers, and the continuation from Trenton to Princeton beyond Episode 3.Staten IslandJune 29–August 1776Brooklyn HeightsNight of August 29–30, 1776Jamaica PassAugust 27, 1776New YorkSeptember 1776–November 1783Harlem HeightsSeptember 16, 1776White PlainsOctober 28, 1776Fort WashingtonNovember 16, 1776Fort LeeNovember 20, 1776HackensackNovember 20–December 8, 1776NewarkNovember 20–December 8, 1776New BrunswickNovember 20–December 8, 1776PrincetonJanuary 3, 1777TrentonDecember 26, 1776Delaware crossingNight of December 25–26, 1776Atlantic approachesHudson RiverDelaware RiverN
British and allied movement Continental and militia movement approximate occupation, not total control named place, fort, crossing, or battle
Geographic orientation, not a survey-grade reconstruction. Lines connect named operational stages rather than tracing every road or daily position; the occupation wash marks concentrated military presence, not uniform allegiance or complete control. Princeton is included beyond the episode boundary so the ending choice remains visible.
Read the map as a chronological table
DatesForceMovementInterpretive note
June 29–August 1776British and alliedStaten Island → Staten IslandThe imperial expedition assembles in and around New York Harbor.
June 29–August 1776 → August 27, 1776British and alliedStaten Island → Jamaica PassAmphibious movement to Long Island and the turning movement through Jamaica Pass.
August 27, 1776 → Night of August 29–30, 1776Continental and militiaJamaica Pass → Brooklyn HeightsDefeat on Long Island is followed by evacuation across the East River.
September 15, 1776 → September 1776–November 1783 → September 16, 1776British and alliedNew York → Harlem HeightsLanding at Kip's Bay, occupation of the city, and movement toward Harlem Heights.
September 16, 1776 → October 28, 1776Continental and militiaBrooklyn Heights → White PlainsThe army evacuates, contests Harlem Heights, and shifts north toward White Plains.
November 16, 1776 → November 20, 1776British and alliedFort Washington → Fort LeeFort Washington falls; the Fort Lee position becomes untenable.
November 20–December 8, 1776Continental and militiaFort Lee → New BrunswickRetreat through Hackensack and Newark toward the Delaware corridor.
November 20–December 8, 1776Continental and militiaNew Brunswick → TrentonThe shrinking army continues through Princeton and Trenton into Pennsylvania.
Night of December 25–26, 1776 → December 26, 1776Continental and militiaDelaware crossing → TrentonWashington crosses the Delaware and attacks the Trenton garrison.
January 3, 1777Continental and militiaTrenton → PrincetonThe linked counterstroke continues at Princeton after Episode 3 ends.

How to use this map

Toggle stages to separate the imperial arrival, the fall of New York, the New Jersey retreat, and the Trenton–Princeton counterstroke. The chronological table carries the same information without color or spatial inference.

The map does not encode Native sovereignty, land title, civilian allegiance, or exact zones of control. Those are distinct claims that require their own dated evidence layers. Here the occupation wash means concentrated British military administration around New York, not unanimous Loyalism.

Sources and limits

Locations are approximate modern coordinates used for orientation. Operational sequence is checked against David Hackett Fischer's Washington's Crossing, Edward Lengel's General George Washington, the National Park Service Battle of Brooklyn account, and the Episode 3 captions. Period maps should be read as historical arguments and artifacts, not silently substituted for modern geographic accuracy.

FischerLengelNPS Battle of BrooklynEpisode 3 captions