250 and Counting

Tag: Battle of Long Island

  • GW Explains His Exit–August 30, 1776

    Cover art for August 30, 1776: "US Army--Artillery Retreat from Long Island 1776, an 1899 portrait from the Werner Company of Akron, Ohio.

    Even though George Washington was in charge of the whole Continental Army, he still had people to answer to. Most directly that would be the Continental Congress and that will happen very soon, but in the meantime there were also some local officials he had to placate.

    Which brings us to today’s episode, in which Washington wrote to the New York Convention, which was the name at that time for the body of state’s representatives. He’d kept them up to date on everything that was going on so far, so it only made sense that he’d send them another note to let them know why the troops had bailed on Brooklyn. There were lots of good reasons, but the one he didn’t write about was the fact that his army was getting shellacked and it was either get killed outright, or run away to fight another day.

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  • The Maryland Heroes–August 29, 1776

    Cover art for August 29, 1776 The Maryland 400 counter-attacking the British in Brooklyn, by Alonzo Chappel, 1858. via the Center for Brooklyn History/Brooklyn Public Library.

    The Maryland 400 (who got that name because “The Maryland 270 ” was too awkward?) was directly responsible for keeping the American losses relatively low, considering how badly the battle went for them.

    In the final accounting, about 300 soldiers were dead, another 650-800 were wounded and 1100 were captured. British and German casualties numbered 64 dead and 314 missing, wounded or captured.

    Not an auspicious showing for the Continental Army in their first battle since the Declaration of Independence was made public. However, the fact that the bulk of the American army did manage to make it across the East River back into Manhattan was, in itself, a morale-booster, especially when it became common knowledge that George Washington was the last Continental to leave Brooklyn. And in retrospect, the escape from Brooklyn is considered to be one of Washington’s greatest military accomplishments. Having said that, there is an argument that he was only successful because the British navy failed to patrol the East River, and they’d be right. But most battle successes are going to come with a dollop of luck.

    However, the losses weren’t over for Washington, and eventually he had to withdraw his forces to New Jersey. Meanwhile, the British held onto New York for the rest of the war.

    What the British didn’t manage to do, however, was cut off New England the way they’d hoped. But that comes later.

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  • The Battle Winds Down–August 28, 1776

    Cover art for August 28, 1776: A Plan of New York Island, With Part of Long Island," published by William Faden in 1776, detailing troop movements during the Battle of Long Island. via Library of Congress.

    As we told you yesterday, Washington got the word rather late that the battle wasn’t going down the way he thought it would, largely because the Jamaica Pass, which was rarely used, was the path that most of the British Army took against the Continental Army. At the same time, they left a contingent of troops in place as a distraction while they worked their way around.

    That meant that when he got across the East River, all he could really do was watch from a distance while his troops took a beating. General John Sullivan’s men fought bravely but were cut down by Hessian artillery and bayonets. And when he realized that the main British force had come through the Jamaica Pass and would soon surround him, Sullivan ordered his men to retreat to Brooklyn Heights before he himself was captured.

    Fortunately for Sullivan, he was released on parole to deliver a message to the Congress in Philadelphia, proposing an informal meeting to discuss ending the armed conflict.

    After Sullivan’s speech to Congress, John Adams cynically commented on this diplomatic attempt, calling Sullivan a “decoy-duck” and accusing the British of sending Sullivan “to seduce us into a renunciation of our independence”; others noted that it appeared to be an attempt to blame Congress for prolonging the war. Congress did agree to a peace conference with the British, but that ultimately went nowhere.

    General William Stirling held off the British for several hours but retreated when he also realized that he would be surrounded. He led 400 Maryland soldiers in a desperate fight at the Old Stone House, giving his soldiers time to flee before he, too, was taken prisoner. But we’ll get into this in a little more depth tomorrow.

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  • The Battle of Long Island–August 27, 1776

    Cover art for August 27, 1776: British flat-bottomed boats making their way to Brooklyn shortly before the battle. The soldiers in blue are Hessians. Painting by Robert Cleverly in 1777, via National Maritime Museum.

    The Battle of Long Island was one of our largest engagements with the British, and it was also the first one after the Declaration of Independence.

    And it was a rout; the Americans got their heads handed to them. The British took New York and they occupied it for the rest of the war. After so many smaller victories, we finally got the lessons that A) this was going to be a long and bloody war, and B) there really isn’t any such thing as an easy victory.

    As a result, New York City became a focal point for espionage and intelligence-gathering. If you’ve ever seen the AMC series Turn: Washington’s Spies, you’ll get an idea of some of the things that went on. (The series as a whole isn’t bad, but there are definitely instances of dramatic license that went on. For instance, you can’t row across the Long Island Sound and back overnight. In fact, I’m not sure you can row across the Sound safely at all.)

    In tomorrow’s episode, Mike will tell you why it didn’t turn out worse for the American side and then we close out the week with the last chapter of the Battle of Long Island.

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  • Eve of Battle–August 26, 1776

    Cover art for August 26, 1776: A map of Brooklyn by Bernard Ratzer, ca. 1766-67. The Guan Heights are marked as ovals at center right.

    At this point, both George Washington and General William Howe know that they’re literally on the eve of battle, and they’re making their final preparations.

    The British, along with the Hessians, were making plans to move along the Jamaica Pass (it’s the road just above the Acroasis logo in today’s art), which, while they didn’t know it, was relatively lightly guarded by the Continental Army.

    Washington’s tactic was to hold on to the Heights of Guan (the ovals to the right of the episode title, representing hills) and fortify Brooklyn Heights (far left center, about where the Brooklyn Bridge is today). It wasn’t a bad idea, but it didn’t match the British plans. And that’s largely where things went wrong. We’ll be talking about that in greater detail tomorrow.

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  • More Hessians Arrive–August 25, 1776

    Cover art for August 25, 1776: portrait of Leopold Philip von Heister by Johann Werner Kobold, 1776. via Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel.

    Like the Continental Army didn’t have enough problems with being outnumbered nearly two-to-one, now they’re looking at another five thousand Hessians landing in Brooklyn.

    The name “Hessians” is what they call a synecdoche; that’s when a part of something is used to refer to the whole. For instance, when we say “boots on the ground,” the “boots” portion of that phrase is synecdoche for “soldiers.” Or, if you refer to business leaders as “suits.” So, Hessians got that name because most of the troops came from one of two German states: Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Hanau.

    While Hessians were effective soldiers, especially in the Northern theaters of the Revolutionary War, their presence also had the effect of outraging colonists and improving overall support for the war effort. In fact, the Hessians are referenced (though not by name) in the Declaration of Independence:

    “He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.”

    In the colonists’ heads, the Hessians’ mere presence was a violation of their rights.

    Over the next couple of days, we’ll follow the activitiy on Long Island as the battle itself begins.

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  • Meet The New Boss–August 24, 1776

    Cover art for August 24, 1776: Engraving of Israel Putnam during the Revolution. via Library of Congress.

    That George Washington chose to add Israel Putnam to his leadership rolls in Brooklyn isn’t specifically mysterious. What is mysterious is that Putnam was added rather than used as a replacement for someone else.

    As a result of that move, there were essentially two men in charge on Long Island, with Putnam as the theater commander and General John Sullivan, who’d arrived only a couple of days earlier, in charge of ..something else?

    I’m reminded of a story from when I was a youngster and my family went up to Fort William Henry, on Lake George in upstate New York. It was built by the British during the French and Indian War, but it wasn’t built to withstand artillery, so when the battle started, the fort had to surrender pretty quickly. At any rate, one of the docents, dressed in period clothing, demonstrated how a flintlock rifle worked: he set up the powder, etc, put a musket ball into the gun (my memory is hazy on the specific details here), then he took aim, out toward the lake so nobody would get hit…and the gun misfired, the hammer simply banging down ineffectually.

    >click<

    And someone in the tour group, who may have been my mother (is the statute of limitations up yet?) said, “No wonder you lost.”

    Same thing happened on Long Island: poor planning, confusion regarding leadership roles, and being generally outnumbered.

    No wonder we lost. (oop, spoiler alert.)

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  • Reacting to Brooklyn–August 23, 1776

    Cover art for August 23, 1776: Map showing Howe's attack upon Washington's forces on Long Island. via Library of Congress.

    The day after the British landed on Long Island, George Washington was disheartened to learn that army provisioning wasn’t at the level he’d expected, despite his orders only a week earlier.

    It was bad enough that he’d been caught a little flatfooted by both the magnitude and the direction of the British movement, now he discovers that troops he’d ordered to move had done so without proper provisions.

    So, he took the time to create new orders regarding army provisioning and ensure that the General Commissary had the manpower to do what it needed to do. He also took the time to write an inspirational note to the troops, which we couldn’t do in a two-minute show, but which read thus:

    The Enemy have now landed on Long Island, and the hour is fast approaching, on which the Honor and Success of this army, and the safety of our bleeding Country depend. Remember officers and Soldiers, that you are Freemen, fighting for the blessings of Liberty—that slavery will be your portion, and that of your posterity, if you do not acquit yourselves like men: Remember how your Courage and Spirit have been dispised, and traduced by your cruel invaders; though they have found by dear experience at Boston, Charlestown and other places, what a few brave men contending in their own land, and in the best of causes can do, against base hirelings and mercenaries—Be cool, but determined; do not fire at a distance, but wait for orders from your officers—It is the General’s express orders that if any man attempt to skulk, lay down, or retreat without Orders he be instantly shot down as an example, he hopes no such Scoundrel will be found in this army; but on the contrary, every one for himself resolving to conquer, or die, and trusting to the smiles of heaven upon so just a cause, will behave with Bravery and Resolution: Those who are distinguished for their Gallantry, and good Conduct, may depend upon being honorably noticed, and suitably rewarded: And if this Army will but emulate, and imitate their brave Countrymen, in other parts of America, he has no doubt they will, by a glorious Victory, save their Country, and acquire to themselves immortal Honor.

    Yes, I said that cowardice “will not be tolerated” in the episode; clearly I under-sold that one.

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  • Landing In Brooklyn–August 22, 1776

    Cover art for August 22, 1776: portrait of Henry Clinton, attributed to Andrea Soldi, ca. 1762-65

    One fine Thursday morning in August of 1776, about 4000 British troops, led by General Henry Clinton and General George Cornwallis, landed at Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn. By the end of the day, their number had swelled to over 16,000.

    George Washington’s problem was that he only heard about the initial 4000 later that day and decided that his guess regarding any invasion of Brooklyn was little more than a feint. Washington was no fool, but he was definitely wrong about this one.

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  • The Battle Begins–August 20, 1776

    Cover art for August 20, 1776: Artillery Retreat from Long Island, chromolithograph by The Werner Company, 1899. via Library of Congress.

    It’s been coming for at least two months, and the Battle of Long Island has finally begun.

    As we’ve noted a few times the past couple of days, George Washington had to make a few educated guesses about what the British were planning to do, but this left his troops thinly spread throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, which left the Continental Army at a big disadvantage.

    While numerous skirmishes have broken out up and down the coast between the British and American militia forces from time to time, this was Washington’s first major tangle with the British Army. That it didn’t go so great wasn’t his fault; that it didn’t go as badly as it could have is entirely his doing, as we’ll learn in a few days.

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