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The American Revolution
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the American lines, in the early morning hours of August 27. Hes-
sian and redcoat regiments were attacking the American positions
from the front when, at 9 am, the 10,000-man British force swept in
from behind.
The left and center of the American line soon collapsed. Hundreds of
Continental soldiers dropped their muskets and ran for their lives. Soldiers
on the American right continued to fight ferociously, which allowed many
of their comrades to reach the fortified positions at Brooklyn Heights. But
the Battle of Brooklyn—or the Battle of Long Island, as it’s also called—
was over by noon. It had been a fiasco for the Continental Army. Some
300 men were dead, and another 700 or so wounded. More than 1,000,
including three generals, had been captured.
Against the advice of his officers, General WilliamHowe decided not to
attack Brooklyn Heights immediately. Instead, the British commander
prepared for a siege. This allowedWashington to save his army. On August
29–30, under the cover of darkness and then a dense morning fog, about
9,000 Continental troops were ferried across the East River to New York City.
New York City Lost
On September 15, British warships anchored in the East River near a
place called Kips Bay unleashed a thunderous
bombardment
. When
the naval guns fell silent after an hour, thousands of British and Hessian
soldiers went ashore. The British planned to trap American forces to the
south, in New York City.
But Washington had already decided to abandon the city. Most of the
Continental Army was already north of Kips Bay. In the wake of the debacle
on Long Island, Washington had come to an important realization. The
American Revolution would stay alive as long as the Continental Army
remained in the field. The entire army shouldn’t be risked in a single
engagement. Washington’s aide Alexander Hamilton summed up his
commander’s strategy. “Our hopes are not placed in any particular city,
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