New York had a key strategic location and port. The British sailors docked their ships in the port and took over while George Washington (who was fighting for the colonies) narrowly escaped. Slowly, the colonists started winning battles in New York, such as the Battle of Saratoga, but often the colonists could not regain New York back and instead liberated Washington DC, then New Jersey and then they started planning on how to liberate New York, because it was difficult due to its heavy British presence.