Bellum Battle Comparator

Compare Revolutionary War Battles

Compare two engagements without flattening incompatible historical numbers. Bellum contrasts outcome, terrain, tactical sequence, command decisions, documented formations, primary-source depth and evidence quality while keeping each source definition intact.

First battleVSSecond battle

November 20, 1776 · New Jersey

Battle of Fort Lee

The Battle of Fort Lee on November 20, 1776 was principally an evacuation race. Four days after Fort Washington fell across the Hudson, Cornwallis crossed into New Jersey, landed north of Fort Lee and threatened to close on Nathanael Greene’s garrison. The Americans escaped before being trapped, but left guns, stores and equipment behind. The action opened the hard retreat across New Jersey that carried Washington’s army toward the Delaware and, one month later, the counterstroke at Trenton.

British victory5 tactical phases6 OOB records1 primary sources

May 10, 1775 · New York

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

The May 10, 1775 capture of Fort Ticonderoga was a small action with disproportionate strategic value. The rebels gained a key northern post, material, and a foothold on the route toward Canada, while the fort’s artillery later became part of the Boston siege story.

American victory5 tactical phases5 OOB records1 primary sources

Side-by-Side Analytical Matrix

Dimension	Battle of Fort Lee	Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Result	British victory	American victory
Tactical outcome	Cornwallis’s landing north of the fort threatened its landward escape route. Greene abandoned the position before the Crown force could seal the retreat, conceding the fort and much matériel but preserving most of the garrison.	A small rebel force associated with Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys surprised the lightly held British post and took Fort Ticonderoga with little fighting.
Strategic effect	The loss ended the paired Fort Washington–Fort Lee scheme for contesting the lower Hudson and initiated the American withdrawal through New Jersey. The retreat preserved the army but deepened the logistical and morale crisis of late 1776.	The capture opened a strategically important Lake Champlain position to the revolutionaries and gave them access to artillery and stores; guns from the northern forts later contributed to the artillery concentration around Boston.
Terrain problem	The Palisades created a dramatic vertical obstacle between the Hudson landing place and the fort above. Once Crown troops gained the heights north of Fort Lee, the decisive geography shifted to the roads leading away from the post. The fort itself could not compensate for an enemy force operating on its landward side.	Ticonderoga sat at a narrows controlling movement between Lake George and Lake Champlain. The strategic value of the site was far larger than the number of troops inside the fort on May 10.
Intelligence problem	The fall of Fort Washington made Fort Lee’s isolation obvious, yet the timing and speed of Cornwallis’s movement still created tactical surprise. Once word arrived that Crown troops were advancing from the north, Greene had little time for a deliberate evacuation.	The attackers exploited surprise and local knowledge. The British garrison did not face a formal siege; the action turned on reaching and entering the fort before resistance could be organized.
Turning point	The critical moment was not a breach of a wall. It was Greene’s recognition that remaining in the fort risked encirclement. The decision to leave converted a likely surrender into a costly but successful escape.	The decisive moment was penetration of the post itself. Once the small garrison was surprised inside a fort not prepared for a full defense, the contest was effectively settled.
Documented OOB records	6	5
Tactical phases	5	5
Command decisions analyzed	1	1
Primary-source records	1	1
Modern/historical geography anchors	2	2

Bellum intentionally does not subtract or rank troop/casualty figures when their source scope differs. Open each battle’s evidence table for the exact definitions behind its numbers.

Operational Geography

Battle of Fort LeeFort Lee, New Jersey, New Jersey

Capture of Fort TiconderogaTiconderoga, New York