Hudson Highlands Strategy in the United States

Hudson Highlands Strategy in the U.S. Legal History

Summary

The British tried to execute this strategy early in the War for American Independence but never successfully implemented it. The idea was to gain control of the Hudson River-Lake Champlain corridor running north from New York City and south from Montreal, Canada. Had they done so, the effect would have been to cut off New England, the initial center of rebellion, from the rest of the colonies. New England could then have been reconquered in detail. The failure to coordinate the movements of British forces in 1776 and 1777 resulted in the capture of John Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga, New York, in October, which ended any attempt to snuff out the rebellion by retaking New England.