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18 October in military history: the Battles of Pell's Point, 1776, and Tarutino, 1812

Military history · 18 October · American Revolutionary War and French invasion of Russia · Full calendar

By Echoes of Battle

Location: Pell's Point, Bronx, New York.
Location: Pell's Point, Bronx, New York. Location map: © Echoes of Battle (data: Natural Earth, public domain)
Quick answer

On 18 October 1776 Colonel John Glover's brigade fought a British and Hessian landing at Pell's Point, in today's Bronx, and bought Washington time to leave Manhattan. On the same date in 1812 the Russian army surprised Murat's vanguard at Tarutino, and the next day Napoleon began his retreat from Moscow. Each battle has its own full story below.

Pell's Point, 1776

About 4,000 British and Hessian troops under General Howe landed at Pell's Point, in today's Bronx, to get behind Washington's army. Colonel John Glover's 750 Massachusetts men fought them from behind stone walls, falling back from wall to wall, and held them up while Washington moved toward White Plains.1

Read the full story of Pell's Point, 1776 ›

Tarutino, 1812

Kutuzov's army surprised Murat's vanguard, with Poniatowski's Polish corps, south of Moscow; Cossacks overran Sebastiani's camp, but Murat broke out and withdrew. The next day Napoleon's army began to leave Moscow.2

Read the full story of Tarutino, 1812 ›

Frequently asked questions

What was the Battle of Pell's Point?

A delaying action on 18 October 1776 in which about 750 Americans under Colonel John Glover held up about 4,000 British and Hessian troops, covering Washington's move to White Plains.

Pell's Point, 1776 ›

Who won at Tarutino?

The Russians drove Murat back and took guns and prisoners, but Murat escaped. The next day Napoleon began to march out of Moscow.

Tarutino, 1812 ›

Notes

A number in the text points to a note; each note names the works that paragraph draws on, listed in full under Sources.

  1. National Park Service, “The Battle of Pell's Point”; American Battlefield Trust, “Pell's Point Battle Facts and Summary”. ↩
  2. John Rickard, “Battle of Vinkovo or Tarutino, 18 October 1812”; Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library, “Состоялось Тарутинское сражение между русскими и французскими войсками во время Отечественной войны 1812 года”. ↩

Sources

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