1777 failed attack during the American Revolutionary War by a force of Continental Army troops
The failed Continental assault on Setauket demonstrated that British-aligned Loyalists could successfully defend fortified positions against American raiding forces.
Key Facts
- Date
- August 22, 1777
- Location
- Setauket, Long Island, New York
- Attacking commander
- Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons
- Defending commander
- Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hewlett
- Fortified position
- Local Presbyterian church with stockade and earthworks
- Outcome
- Failed Continental attack; Parsons withdrew to Connecticut
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Encouraged by the success of the earlier Meigs Raid on Sag Harbor, Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons led a Continental Army force from Connecticut across Long Island Sound to strike a Loyalist outpost at Setauket. However, Loyalist spies alerted Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hewlett to the planned assault in advance, allowing him to prepare strong defenses around the local Presbyterian church.
On August 22, 1777, Parsons' Continental troops landed and demanded the surrender of the fortified Loyalist position at Setauket. Hewlett refused, and a brief firefight broke out between the two forces. The American attackers were unable to overcome the stockade and earthworks surrounding the church, and the exchange of fire caused no significant damage to either side.
Parsons abandoned the assault and withdrew his force back across Long Island Sound to Connecticut, leaving the Loyalist garrison in control of Setauket. The failure showed the limits of American raiding strategy against well-prepared Loyalist defenses on Long Island, and the British-held position remained intact.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons.
Side B
1 belligerent
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hewlett.