Admiral Howe’s first task was to land
William’s army on Long Island, New York, in
order to drive Washington’s army from the re-
gion. This was accomplished in August 1776,
and the resulting Battle of Long Island forced
the Americans from the field. At this juncture,
a few well-placed warships in the Hudson
River would have cut off Washington and
trapped him on Long Island, but this was
never attempted. Historians have debated
ever since whether or not Admiral Howe, by
withholding his fleet, was deliberately sparing
his adversaries the humiliation of total defeat.
When this magnanimous gesture failed to
bring about the desired result, Howe afforded
naval support during the attack on Manhat-
tan, which resulted in the captures of Fort
Washington and Lee. Here Gen. Henry Clin-
toninsisted that part of the army be landed at
King’s Bridge, a natural choke point that
would have trapped the fleeing army, but
again the Howe brothers relented. This ges-
ture also failed to induce the Americans to sit
down at the conference table. Subsequent
landings at Throg’s Neck and Pell’s Point also
threatened Washington with destruction, but
British forces, having won the field of battle,
were strangely lax in their pursuit. Despite
these sound thrashings, all attempts at negoti-
ations came to naught, even when the broth-
ers dispatched captured Gen. John Sullivan as
an envoy to Congress. General Howe then
pursed the Americans deep into New Jersey,
while the admiral led a brief expedition to
Rhode Island to secure deepwater moorings
for the winter. They viewed their endeavors,
from a strictly military standpoint, as com-
pletely successful.
All winter and well into summer, Howe and
his brother planned and prepared an ambi-
tious amphibious assault against Philadelphia.
This was a major manufacturing center and
the largest English-speaking city outside of
London, in addition to being the home of the
Continental Congress. In August 1777, Howe
transported his brother’s army to the mouth of
the Elk River, where they landed and marched
inland. Philadelphia fell soon afterward, but
their success was mitigated by shocking news
of Gen. John Burgoyne’s surrender at
Saratoga, New York, in October. Lord Germain
openly blamed the Howe brothers for failing
to support Burgoyne from New York and pur-
suing operations farther south. Both the admi-
ral and the general, fed up with what they con-
sidered erratic direction of the war, tendered
their resignations. However, the American vic-
tory at Saratoga meant that France had now
entered the war, and Howe remained behind
to direct fleet operations until Adm. James
Gambier replaced him. Meanwhile, a large
French expeditionary force under Admiral
d’Estaing was threatening New York, the
major British entrepôt in North America.
Howe, though badly outnumbered, boldly
threw his ships in a line across Sandy Hook
and defied the enemy to attack, which they de-
clined. D’Estaing next attacked and besieged
Newport, Rhode Island, in July 1778. Howe
sallied forth and, although possessing fewer
ships, mounted a direct challenge. Bad
weather intervened and forced the opposing
fleets to depart, but Howe’s action convinced
the American forces to relinquish their siege
of Newport. Shortly after, Howe tendered his
resignation and sailed for England.
Once home, Howe refused to serve longer
while the inept Earl of Sandwich remained
head of the British Admiralty. King George
thereupon offered him the post, but he de-
clined to accept unless Lord Germain retired
from the War Department as well. The king
dismissed this request as unreasonable, and
Howe returned to Parliament as part of the
opposition Whigs. However, the fall of Ger-
main’s ministry in 1782 led to Howe’s appoint-
ment as head of the Grand Fleet. In this ca-
pacity he conducted a brilliant resupply effort
to the closely besieged island of Gibraltar,
outmaneuvering various French and Spanish
fleets and reaching his objective without com-
bat. This resulted in Howe’s promotion to
First Lord of the Admiralty, where he re-
mained until 1788. Following the outbreak of
war with Revolutionary France in 1793,
Howe, by now almost 70, next conducted aHOWE, RICHARD