“These are the times that try men’s souls.” Washington's Continental Army in late 1776
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” The opening words from Thomas Paine's pamphlet The American Crisis, may succinctly capture General George Washington's mood in November 1776. Sitting in this very chair at White Plains, New York, Washington knew his army was on the back foot. From Long Island through Manhattan, he and his men were continuously pushed north by an overwhelming British force coming from land and by sea.
While the Continental Army had forced the British to abandon Boston in March 1776, the later half of 1776 represented a low point for the war effort. George Washington was easily out-generaled by the British Army at the Battle of Brooklyn on August 27 and was eventually forced to abandon New York City.
A notable success for the Continental Army was at the Battle of Harlem Heights on September 16th, which, however small, represented the first battlefield victory for Washington. It gave the troops a boost of confidence and the army a chance to regroup and safely retreat.
The retreat continued as the Continental Army made its way further north to the town of White Plains, where Washington established his new headquarters on October 23, 1776. His army dug in behind a three-mile long trench behind the Bronx River, anchored on the right flank by the 180 foot Chatterton Hill, where they waited for the inevitable British assault. Morale was low and 3,100 Continental soldiers (roughly a third of what Washington had been commanding at the Battle of Brooklyn), stood against a combined British-Hessian force of approximately 7,500. Despite heavy artillery and musket fire, Washington’s army was able to hold, until the Hessians outflanked the defensive line. With defeat now inevitable, Washington ordered a retreat. Both sides had suffered significant casualties: the Continental Army lost approximately 220 men while the British Army suffered about 230 casualties.
Although the British had won the battle, the Continental Army was able to conduct a fighting withdrawal, demonstrating the army’s ability to offer a fierce defense against a much larger military force, something the Continentals had struggled to achieve until now.
However, the ranks of Washington's army had been significantly reduced. As the casualties mounted, Washington faced a new challenge. The one year enlistment period for some of the army was expiring and many of these soldiers wanted to take their pay and go home. With Washington’s army on the verge of dissolution, he seemed to be witnessing the destruction of the nascent American nation.
It is recorded in the Southampton History Museum's archives that Washington sat in the chair picture above, paying his men in November 1776. At the same time Washington may have urged these men to extend their military service and not to abandon the fight for independence. The time for "the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot" was over and now grim, determined fighting was needed. It was battles like Harlem Heights and White Plains that kept the army together to fight another day. Washington would soon achieve major victories at Trenton and Princeton, keeping the hope of independence alive.
The Southampton History Museum is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with an exclusive new exhibition, Stephen Sayre's American Revolution, along with special blog posts, lectures, gallery talks, and more! To learn more about Stephen Sayre and George Washington's chair, visit the Southampton History Museum.
Blog co-authored by Gabriel Oshman, 2026 Summer Intern.
