Richard Howe – Day-By-Day America

Peace Talk on Staten Island: Howe and the Committee

Richard Howe, though commander of the British fleet sent to stop the rebellion, was not personally hostile toward America.

On the shore at Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a British officer stepped out of his boat to meet three American civilians. They were members of the Continental Congress, sent as a committee to talk with the British admiral — at his invitation — about the possibility of peace. The officer who met them was a sort of hostage: while the three crossed over to Staten Island to meet with Admiral Howe, he would stay behind as security for their safe-conduct. It was understandable for Admiral Howe to send the officer, but the three Americans considered a hostage unnecessary, and they insisted that the officer accompany them to meet the admiral on Staten Island.

Admiral Lord Richard Howe and his brother, General Sir William Howe, in addition to being the commanders of the British navy and army in America, were “peace commissioners”: that is, they had been given a mission to try to talk the Americans into ending the war, and had been authorized to grant pardons to those who had rebelled. But since the time when they were given that mission, the Americans had declared independence, which made the situation much more difficult: even before the declaration of independence, the British couldn’t negotiate with the Continental Congress, because that would be acknowledging the Congress as a legal body; and after the declaration, negotiating with them would be acknowledging the United States as independent — which the British could not do without giving up the war. As a result, the meeting was somewhat unofficial.

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.

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: