"I was surprised when I viewed in the morning the difficulties our troops surmounted," wrote Captain Champion.
"This piece of ground was fortified by all British art and industry ?." However, a night attack had undermined the effectiveness of most of these defenses, and high winds had prevented the British navy from coming to the aid of the embattled redcoats, Lightballs, or flares, had been prepared, and a signal rocket was on hand to call for reinforcements from the British garrison at Verplanck's Point on the other side of the Hudson; however, in the confusion of battle, they were never used.
The British had underestimated their enemy, whose, abilities as professional soldiers had improved with each campaign. The Continental Army had carried out a well-coordinated night attack, assaulting a heavily fortified position. Except for the diversionary center column, they were armed only with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets - ironically, just as the British had been when they attacked General Wayne's forces nearly two years earlier at Paoli, Pennsylvania, on the night of September 21, 1777.
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