NJ, USA
Fort Lee
16 sources organized by credibility tier.
▶Tier 1 — Institutional and Academic (5)
1776 — Simon & Schuster (David McCullough)
Narrative history covering the fall of Fort Washington and Fort Lee in detail. McCullough's account of the catastrophic garrison losses at Fort Washington and the frantic evacuation of Fort Lee is the most accessible scholarly narrative.
Fort Lee Historic Park: State Historic Site Documentation — New Jersey State Park Service
State park documentation for the Fort Lee site on the Palisades. Includes archaeological survey results identifying the fort's earthworks and artifact distributions from the 1776 occupation.
Lord Cornwallis's Report on the Surprise Crossing at Fort Lee, November 20, 1776 — UK National Archives, War Office Papers
Cornwallis's official dispatch on the dawn crossing of the Hudson at Closter Landing and the seizure of Fort Lee. Documents one of the most audacious British amphibious operations of the war.
The American Crisis, No. 1 -- Written During the Retreat from Fort Lee — Philadelphia (Thomas Paine)
Paine wrote the first Crisis pamphlet while retreating with Washington's army from Fort Lee through New Jersey. The document is a direct literary product of the Fort Lee disaster and the crisis it represented.
Washington's Correspondence on the Fall of Fort Lee and Fort Washington, November 1776 — Library of Congress, George Washington Papers
Updated from GW Papers collection URL to specific Founders Online document
▶Tier 2 — Reputable Secondary (9)
Bergen County Historical Society: Revolutionary War Collections — Bergen County Historical Society
Local historical society with manuscript collections documenting the British occupation of Bergen County (including Fort Lee's immediate hinterland) and the Loyalist-patriot conflict throughout the war.
https://revolutionarynj.org/sites/fort-lee-historic-park/ — revolutionarynj.org
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Fort Lee
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/forts-washington-and-lee — www.battlefields.org
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Fort Lee
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/fort-lee — www.battlefields.org
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Fort Lee
https://www.bergencountyhistory.org/newbridge-revwar — www.bergencountyhistory.org
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Hackensack
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/fort-lee-new-jersey — www.encyclopedia.com
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Fort Lee
Nathanael Greene's Report on the Loss of Fort Washington and Evacuation of Fort Lee — Rhode Island Historical Society, Greene Papers
Greene's report to Washington on the fall of Fort Washington, for whose defense he had personally advocated. The document reveals the command disagreement and the devastating loss of 2,800 men that precipitated the New Jersey retreat.
Official Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War — William T. Nicholson (William S. Stryker)
Comprehensive state roster documenting New Jersey soldiers who served during the 1776 retreat. Essential for identifying specific units and individuals at Fort Lee and during the subsequent flight to Pennsylvania.
The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution — Walker & Company (Barnet Schecter)
Detailed military history covering the fall of Fort Washington and Fort Lee in the context of the broader New York Campaign. Draws on British and Hessian archives alongside American sources.
▶Tier 3 — General Reference (2)
Fort Lee Historic Park Visitor Information — New Jersey State Park Service
Visitor-facing materials for the Fort Lee Historic Park on the Palisades. Provides accessible interpretive summary and practical site access information.
Fort Lee, New Jersey -- Revolutionary War History (Wikipedia) — Wikipedia
General reference entry covering Fort Lee's history and the 1776 battle. Useful for orientation.
For details on how we evaluate sources, see our Methodology.