Philip Schuyler combined military command with landholding, commerce, and New York politics. During the French and Indian War he gained experience in provincial service and military supply. Elected to the colonial assembly in 1768, he supported resistance to British policy and represented New York in the Continental Congress in 1775 before receiving a commission as major general.

As commander of the Continental Army's Northern Department, Schuyler organized supplies, transport, fortifications, and relations with Indigenous nations. Illness prevented him from leading the 1775 advance into Canada personally, leaving Richard Montgomery to direct it. His administrative responsibilities continued during a period of military reverses and disputes over command. In 1776 he ordered the occupation and repair of Fort Stanwix, renamed Fort Schuyler by its American garrison.

During Burgoyne's invasion in 1777, Schuyler sought to delay the British advance and preserve American forces. He also sent Benedict Arnold to relieve the siege in the Mohawk Valley. The loss of Ticonderoga intensified criticism, and Congress replaced him with Horatio Gates before the battles of Saratoga. A subsequent inquiry cleared him of misconduct, but he did not regain the same command and resigned from the army in 1779. His preparations contributed to the American position without making him the battlefield commander of Gates's victories.

Schuyler returned to state politics, supported ratification of the Constitution, and served in the United States Senate in 1789–1791 and again in 1797–1798. He promoted inland navigation improvements as president of a canal company, linking commercial development with public policy. The family estates and enterprises that sustained his position relied on enslaved labor, a central element of his wealth. He died in 1804. His relationship to Hamilton through his daughter Elizabeth was one part of a career in logistics, property, politics, and economic development.