In July 1779, American light infantry waded through waist-deep water at midnight to attack a British fortress atop a 150-foot cliff on the Hudson River, carrying unloaded muskets. This episode breaks down the Battle of Stony Point, the midnight assault that captured the stronghold nicknamed Little Gibraltar in about 25 minutes.

We explain why Sir Henry Clinton’s capture of Stony Point and King’s Ferry threatened American supply lines, how Washington used local spies to find a tidal gap in the abatis, and how Brigadier General Anthony Wayne built a plan around silence, a noisy diversion, and forlorn hope axemen. Learn how decentralized command held when Wayne was struck in the head, why British cannons could not hit the climbing attackers, why the Americans spared over 500 prisoners, and why Washington abandoned the fort after two days.

• The strategic stakes of King’s Ferry and the bait Clinton set for Washington
• Spies, the tidal gap in the abatis, and the 1,350-man Corps of Light Infantry
• Bayonets only: how the Paoli Massacre shaped Wayne’s order for unloaded muskets
• The forlorn hope, white paper on hats, and the artillery dead zone on the steep slope
• Clemency for prisoners, the decision to abandon the fort, and lessons in asymmetrical problem solving