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Americans Defeated at the Battle of Long Island

Long Island was the first big battleground of the war in New York. This map shows where the opposing armies were before, during, and after the battle.

Ever since the combined British and Hessian armies had arrived in New York harbor, the Americans had been watching, waiting, and wondering: when and where would the enemy attack? Those questions were finally answered on Long Island on August 27, 1776. Hundreds of Americans were captured, killed, or wounded; the rest were forced to retreat for their lives, and it looked as though the enemy might finish them off any day. Only a miracle could save them.

German-American Officer Found Guilty of Attempted Espionage

Herman Zedwitz, a native German who served in the American army, wrote a secret letter, offering to provide intelligence to the British in exchange for money.

Herman Zedwitz was a native German who had served in the Seven Years’ War (known as the French and Indian War in America) in the army of the King of Prussia. For a few months during that time, his unit, with him as the commander, was assigned to serve with the British cavalry, and he became acquainted with the famous British Lieutenant General John Manners, Marquess of Granby, who apparently thought well of him.

In 1770, a few years after the war, Granby wrote to Zedwitz in Germany. Britain and Spain were disputing over the Falkland Islands, and it looked like war might break out. Granby offered to pay Zedwitz to recruit some German riflemen to serve with the British forces. Zedwitz recruited 20 men for starters and took them to England as agreed; but then Granby died, Britain and Spain settled the dispute diplomatically, and Zedwitz couldn’t get anybody to pay him, so he had to send the men back home at his own expense.

Invasion of Long Island

15,000 British and Hessian troops landed at Gravesend Bay on Long Island on the morning of August 22, 1776.

One step closer to battle: the British and Hessian troops moved from Staten Island to Long Island, in preparation for a major attack on the rebels stationed there. As at Staten Island earlier in the month, the Americans didn’t try to stop them from landing — and even if they had, the landing operations were covered by several British warships, including the Carcass and Thunder, which were bomb ketches (vessels made specifically for bombarding targets on shore). As they pulled back from the shore to their main positions a few miles away, however, the Americans did burn some grain, so as to keep it from falling into enemy hands.

Phoenix and Rose Rejoin the British Fleet

With the Americans trying to block up the channel of the river, and having already been through two attacks by American galleys and fire ships, Captains Parker and Wallace, of His Majesty’s Ships Phoenix and Rose, decided it was time to call it quits; they would leave the Hudson River and head back to friendly territory. At 5:00 in the morning on August 18, 1776, they weighed anchor and set sail down the river, passing through the obstacles that the Americans had sunk in the river. American artillerymen fired at them, and they fired back, but hardly any damage was done. An American chaplain heard the noise and wondered what was going on:

Whew — ! What means this roaring above us? — Crack! Crack! Crack! What can this cracking mean! — It is the upper Battery contending with the Ships coming down the River.
Just a Quarter of an hour before seven in the morning the firing begun. At seven precisely they were abreast of the grand Battery at New-York. They kept over as near Powles Hook as they could, in Order to be as far as possible from the York Batteries. Before they were down so low as the grand Battery at New-York, & then quite down to the Fleet, as they passed by the Fire from Governors Island, & Red-Hook, we had them in perfect View. The Morning is rainy, the Wind at North East & Violent, so that they passed briskly, tho’ the Ebb was quite expended before they were past Red-Hook. For about four Minutes the firing was really tremendous! This was the Time while the Ships were passing between the grand Battery & Governors-Island; they were then sailing in the midst of a perpetual Blaze! — The lower Batteries at New-York; the Batteries over at Powles-Hook; the Gallies which lay between New-York & Governors Island; & all the Cannon on Governors Island, were all, like incessant Thunders, rattling on them! The Phoenix was ahead of the Rose a Mile & a half, or more; & the two Tenders were a Mile behind the Rose; Both the Ships fired briskly, on the Town & Batteries, but without much Effect, as their Pass was so transient. Our Lodging is on the Shore in Range with Governors-Island, at which the Ships fired bitterly, but we saw no Balls come quite ashore, tho’ great Numbers struck the Water between the Island & us. When they were past Red-Hook they clued [i.e., hauled] up their Sails & scudded away proudly to the Fleet under only a Main Top Sail each! Thus the British Navy triumphs: And that Daemon Wallace [captain of the Rose], is, no Doubt, elated with his present Security.
But let the Traitors dare to tread the Land! Let us stand on equal Ground, & we defy even British Prowess.

By 8:00, the ships had rejoined the rest of the British fleet and were safely anchored off Staten Island.

Get Out of Town!

The tension in New York was building. With a huge British fleet in the harbor, it was only a matter of time before the Americans would be attacked, so the American commander-in-chief issued a proclamation on August 17, encouraging “Women, Children, and infirm Persons” to evacuate — not only for their own safety, but so that the army wouldn’t have to worry about them in the event of an attack:

Whereas a Bombardment and Attack upon the City of New-York, by our cruel, and inveterate Enemy, may be hourly expected: And as there are great Numbers of Women, Children, and infirm Persons, yet remaining in the City, whose Continuance will rather be prejudicial than advantageous to the Army, and their Persons exposed to great Danger and Hazard: I Do therefore recommend it to all such Persons, as they value their own Safety and Preservation, to remove with all Expedition, out of the said Town, at this critical Period,—trusting, that with the Blessing of Heaven, upon the American Arms, they may soon return to it in perfect Security. And I do enjoin and require, all the Officers and Soldiers in the Army, under my Command, to forward and assist such Persons in their Compliance with this Recommendation. Given, under my Hand, at Head-Quarters, New-York, August 17, 1776.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.

Some of them did leave, but some stayed — perhaps because they had no place to go, or because they were confident that the American forces would succeed in defending the city, or because they were still loyal to the king and hoped that the British would take over the city.

American Fire-Ship Attack in the Hudson

American fire ships attacked British warships on the Hudson River at night, and destroyed one of them. James Wallace, the captain of one of the British ships, made a sketch that later served as the basis for this picture.

When the British ships Phoenix and Rose got past the American defenses and went up the Hudson River, orders immediately went out among the American forces to prepare fire ships for attacking them.

A fire ship, or fire raft, was a vessel meant for setting enemy ships on fire. It might be made especially for the purpose, or it might just be an old vessel that they could afford to dispose of. It was filled with flammable materials, arranged in such a way that the fire would start quickly and burn well. The idea was to sail it right up against the enemy’s ship, throw out grappling hooks to hold it alongside, start the fire — and then get out of there as fast as possible.

Although it sounds simple, it took a few weeks for the Americans to get everything ready. In the meanwhile, they made a rather unsuccessful attack in galleys. Finally, at about 11:00 or 11:30 p.m. on August 16, 1776, while lying at anchor in the Hudson, the British crews aboard the Phoenix and Rose (and the three smaller vessels — two tenders and one schooner — that accompanied them) saw a few vessels “silently moving up with the tide.” Two of them were fire ships, and the others were galleys (low, flat-built vessels that used oars as well as sails).

British Warships and American Galleys Face Off in the Tappan Zee

British ships anchored in the Tappan Zee (part of the Hudson River) were attacked by American galleys. The large ships shown on this map indicate where the battle took place.

On the morning of August 3, 1776, the crews of the British warships Phoenix and Rose saw six American ships coming up the Hudson River toward them, along with a number of boats. It wasn’t likely that they were coming for a friendly chat, so the British prepared for action. These American ships were actually galleys — low, flat-built vessels that had both oars and sails — and were definitely less formidable than the British ships, but they were still a threat.

Two Ships, Six Men, and a Cow

The American defenders of New York had spent a lot of time fortifying and preparing against a British attack. There were trenches and artillery emplacements along the shoreline, and even obstacles in the river to keep ships from sailing up it. But on July 12, 1776, the Royal Navy showed that the Americans couldn’t even stop a couple of British warships. And although the only thing killed by British fire that day was a cow, six American artillerymen were killed from their own carelessness in handling their cannon.

The British warships *Phoenix* and *Rose* forced their way up the Hudson River despite the Americans’ best efforts to stop them. It’s a bit hard to see, but all the clouds of smoke in the background are from American cannon shooting at the ships. This picture was made by Captain Archibald Robertson, a British army engineer, from a viewpoint on Staten Island.

That afternoon, the Phoenix, which had 44 guns, and the Rose, which had 20, sailed up the Hudson River with a couple of tenders (small vessels that often accompanied the larger ships). The American artillery blazed away at them and inflicted some damage, but couldn’t stop them, and the obstacles in the river turned out to not be a problem for them. American lieutenant Isaac Bangs described it in his journal:

New York: The New Battleground

The British had abandoned Boston. New York was the new battleground. Americans fortified the town and the surrounding shores, and prepared for the British to come — which they did. And when they came, they came in force. Warships, troop transport ships, and supply ships arrived by dozens in New York harbor, carrying not only British soldiers but also German mercenaries (generally known as Hessians). With each new ship, the odds against the Americans increased. But it seems that many of the American soldiers were quite confident that they would win.

Why? I don’t know. The British and Hessians outnumbered them; they had better equipment, better training, and more experience. They had a powerful navy, while the Americans had a tiny one. And they still had plenty of supporters in America.

But the American soldiers were still confident — some of them too confident, it seems to me. One of them wrote, “We fear not Tory George, & his War-worn Army! — We fear them not”, and added that he had never been “so full of Certainty that we shall prevail” — even though at the time he could see the impressive British fleet from the door of his rented room.

Maybe it was because of their victory at Boston that they were so confident. Maybe it was because they were convinced of the righteousness of their cause, and that justice and Providence were on their side, so there was no way the enemy could win. Maybe it was because they were now fighting for their independence.

Whatever the reason, they were in for a rude awakening during that summer of 1776 at New York…

The Brig “Washington” and Her Flag

Ever heard of a brig (that’s a kind of ship, also known as a brigantine) named the Washington? Probably not, but she was historic, in a small way: she was the first American warship captured by the British in the Revolutionary War, and she gave King George III a chance to look at a rebel flag.

Commanded by Captain Sion Martindale, the Washington set sail on November 23, 1775, and captured at least one ship with supplies bound for the British troops in Boston. But then the crew refused to work. One of their grievances was that they didn’t have enough clothing. What exactly they were lacking, I’m not sure, but in the late fall in the North Atlantic, proper clothing is something you can’t very well do without. At any rate, once they were supplied with the clothes they needed, “the whole Crew to a man gave three Cheers & declard their readiness to go to Sea next morning.”

They set sail again on December 3, and were run down the very next evening by the British ship Fowey, commanded by Captain George Montagu. The Fowey fired a few cannon as a warning, and the Americans gave up — which was probably a wise thing to do, since they were outgunned and outmanned. The odds against them were increased when another British ship, the Lively, showed up later that night.