Battle of Long Island

The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn in August and September 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the Declaration of Independence, and the largest battle of the entire conflict.

The battle and its immediate aftermath were marked by the British capture of New York City (which it held for the entire war), the execution of the eloquent American spy/patriot Nathan Hale and the burning of nearly a quarter of the city's buildings. However the big prize, George Washington, and his Continental Army, escaped.

The battle

Background

On March 17, 1776, the British fleet retreated to Nova Scotia after an unsuccessful year-long Siege of Boston (which began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord and included the Battle of Bunker Hill). Washington, who had successfully defended Boston expected a new attack on New York. He moved his troops to Long Island and the city and reinforced fortifications there.

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was declared in Philadelphia.

Western Long Island

August 22 Howe's Staten Island British Invasion

In July 1776 the British established its headquarters for the operation on Staten Island in New Dorp at the Rose and Crown tavern near the junction of present New Dorp Lane and Amboy Road.

On August 22, 1776, Colonel Edward Hand sent word to Lieutenant General George Washington that the British were preparing to cross The Narrows to Brooklyn from Staten Island.

Under the overall command of Lieutenant General Sir William Howe, and the operational command of Major Generals Charles Cornwallis and Sir Henry Clinton, the British force numbered 4,000. The British commenced their landing in Gravesend Bay, where, after strengthening his forces for over seven weeks on Staten Island, Admiral Richard Howe, moved 88 frigates. The British landed a total of 15,000 men in Brooklyn, out of a total of 32,000 men in the area.

American Retreat from Jamaica to Brooklyn Heights

About half of Washington's army, under Major General Israel Putnam, was deployed to defend the Flatbush area of Long Island, the rest held Manhattan. In a night march suggested and led by Clinton, the British forces used the lightly defended Jamaica pass to turn Putnam's left flank. The following morning Howe and Clinton forced the Americans to withdraw, with heavy losses, to fortifications on Brooklyn Heights.

August 30 American evacuation to Manhattan

During the night of August 30, 1776, the Americans evacuated Long Island for Manhattan. This evacuation of more than 9,000 troops in the dead of night required both stealth and luck. It was not completed by sunrise as scheduled, and had a heavy fog not beset Long Island in the morning, the army may have been trapped between the British and the East River. As it happened, though, it took the British by complete surprise for the second time (the first being Washington's daring nighttime move onto Dorchester Heights in Boston on March 4, 1776). Even having lost the battle, Washington's skillful retreat earned him praise from both the Americans and the British.

September 11 surrender terms rejected

On September 11, 1776, the British received a delegation of Americans consisting of Benjamin Franklin, Edward Rutledge, and John Adams at the Conference House on the southwestern tip of the island (known today as Tottenville) on the former estate of Christopher Billop. The Americans refused the peace offer from the British in exchange for the withdrawal of the Declaration of Independence. The terms were formally rejected on September 15.

September 15 British invasion of Manhattan

Main article: Landing at Kip's Bay

On September 15, 1776, after heavily bombarding green militia, the British crossed to Manhattan, landing at Kip's Bay, and routed the Americans there as well. The following day the two armies fought the Battle of Harlem Heights. After a further battle at White Plains, Washington retreated to New Jersey. The British occupied New York until 1783, when they evacuated the city as agreed in the Treaty of Paris (1783).

September 21 burning of New York City

Main story: Great Fire (New York)

On September 21 a fire broke out on Whitehall Street (widely believed to be at the Fighting Cocks Tavern) in what is downtown New York City. High winds carried it to nearly a quarter of the city's buildings consuming between 300 and 600 buildings (called the Great New York City Fire of 1776). The British accused the rebels of setting the fire but natives always accused the British of the fire.

September 21 capture of Nathan Hale

Main story: Nathan Hale

In the wake of the fire, Nathan Hale, a captain in the Connecticut Rangers, volunteered to enter New York in civilian clothes. Posing as a Dutch schoolteacher, Hale successfully gathered intelligence but was captured before he could return to the rebel lines On September 21 Hale was captured and hanged the next day on the orders of William Howe. According to legend Hale was to have uttered "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" before being hung.

Eastern Long Island

While most of the battle concentrated in the western Long Island, within about 10 miles of Manhattan, British troops were also deployed to the east to capture the entire 110 mile length of Long Island to Montauk. The British met little or no opposition in this operation.

Henry B. Livingston was dispatched with 200 Continental troops to draw a line at what is now Shinnecock Canal at Hampton Bays, New York to prevent the port of Sag Harbor, New York from falling. Livingston faced with not having enough manpower abandoned Long Island to the British in September.

Residents of eastern Long Island were told to take a loyalty oath to the British government. In Sag Harbor families met on September 14 to discuss the matter at the Sag Harbor Meeting House. 14 of the 35 families in Sag Harbor decided to evacuate to Connecticut.

The British planned to use Long Island as a staging ground for a new invasion of New England. They attempted to regulate ships going into Long Island Sound and blockaded Connecitcut.

Casualties

No one knows the exact number of American soldiers who fought in the Battle of Long Island, but estimates are that there were at least 10,000, mostly New York militia reinforced from Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland. Perhaps 1,407 Americans were wounded, captured, or missing, and 312 were killed. A British report claimed the capture of 89 American officers and 1,097 others. Among the captured was Col. Samuel Miles. Miles joined Captain Isaac Wayne's company during the French and Indian War with his compatriot and Wayne's son, Anthony Wayne. Both Samuel and Anthony would serve George Washington faithfully for the remainder of the War as Brigadier General and General, respectively. Samuel Miles, however would remain in a British prison until 1778. He would later become the 81st Mayor of Philadelphia in 1790.

Out of 22,000 British and Germans (including 9,000 Hessians) on Long Island, they sustained a total loss of 377. Five British officers and 56 men were killed, 13 officers and 275 men wounded or missing. Of the Hessian forces under Carl von Donop, two were killed, and three officers and 23 men wounded.

Battle Monuments

Commemorations of the battle include:

The Minerva Statue -- The battle is commemorated with a statue of Minerva near the top Battle Hill, highest point of Brooklyn in Green-wood Cemetery. The statue on the northwest corner of the cemetery looks toward to the Statue of Liberty. In 2006 the statue was evoked in a successful defense to prevent a skycraper from blocking the Manhattan view from the cemetery.
Fort Washington -- Bennett Park in Washington Heights contains the ruins of Fort Washington. It was the last fort defended by Washington. A sign in the park commemorates it as the highest natural point in Manhattan.
Van Cortlandt House -- The Van Cortlandt House Museum in Van Cortlandt Park the Bronx was where Washington made his last New York headquarters in 1776 before retreating to Fort Lee, New Jersey. Washington stayed there when he retraced his retreat in reverse in his 1783 return to Manhattan following the Treaty of Paris.
Nathan Hale Hanging Site(s) - Memorials to Nathan Hale are scattered throughout the region. The hanging site is not officially known. A plaque erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution hung on the Yale Club at 44th and Vanderbilt by Grand Central Terminal says the event occurred there. Another plaque by the New York Historical Society says the event occurred at the northwest corner of 66th Street and Third Avenue. A statue honoring Hale is in the park adjoining the New York City Hall (which also claims to be the hanging site).