A Miraculous Retreat from Long Island

Sketch of General John Glover. Glover’s regiment, composed largely of sailors and fishermen from Marblehead, Massachusetts, helped ferry the American army across the East River to safety in a single night.

The Battle of Long Island left the American army in extreme danger. They were crowded into their fortifications at Brooklyn; in front of them was the British and Hessian army, and behind them was the East River. The British and Hessians outnumbered them, and they were steadily digging trenches toward the American lines: once they got close enough, they would attack, and they would almost certainly win. To make things worse, many of the men were exhausted, and it was raining steadily.

Continue reading “A Miraculous Retreat from Long Island”