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.
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