The Battle of New York was a battle between the United States of America and the British Empire in November 1815, during the War of 1812. The British had been making progress, having annexed the Republic of Massachusetts in September after landing their army in Montreal in July. The British army, under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley and Rear-admiral Frederick Lewis Maitland, first took Harlem, and made their way to the centre of Manhattan. The Americans defended the city valiantly, but by November 24, the British had complete control over the city, and the American commander, Winfield Scott, was taken as a prisoner of war.