08/05/2026
In our continued series "Commemorative Events", we bring you a look at the Battle Of Long Island which happened 250 years ago this month. Credit: Photo and Article from "American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati".
“A little after eight [a.m.] all the ships with troops for the first landing were in motion; and the boats that had taken in about 1,000 troops from Staten Island began to move across towards Gravesend Bay, in Long Island. Half-past eight Commodore Hotham hoisted the red flag in his boat as a signal for the boats to push on shore. The boats immediately obeyed the signal, and in ten minutes or thereabout 4,000 men were on the beach, formed and moved forward.” - Capt. Henry Duncan of H.M.S. Eagle describing the initial landings of British soldiers on Long Island on the morning of August 27, 1776
This month marks the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Long Island, the first battle of a major British campaign to capture New York City from the American forces under Gen. George Washington.
Following their ousting from Boston in March 1776, the British military withdrew to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Having regrouped by July, a large British force under Gen. Sir William Howe moved south and landed unopposed on New York’s Staten Island. On August 15, the first contingent of German auxiliaries also landed on Staten Island, bringing Gen. Howe’s overall strength to thirty-two thousand soldiers.
Nearly two weeks later, on August 27, the Crown forces clashed with the Continental Army on Long Island, resulting in a devastating defeat for Washington’s nascent army. Had it not been for a brave stand made by soldiers of the Maryland and Delaware Lines, the American army would have been easily destroyed. Instead, these units held firm, allowing the Continental forces to eventually withdraw under the nose of Howe’s army. The American troops miraculously crossed the East River undetected to safety in Manhattan three days later.
On September 15, the British attempted a third amphibious landing at Kip’s Bay on the east side of Manhattan to overwhelm Washington’s forces and finally capture New York City. The city operated as a vital hub for British operations in North America for the rest of the war until it was ultimately evacuated on November 25, 1783.
