Long Island

On August 22, 1776 the British landed without opposition on Long Island. Washington had positioned his army to meet the British advance on Long Island with the east river behind him. He failed to realize that if the British brought …

1776-08-27

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On August 22, 1776 the British landed without opposition on Long Island. Washington had positioned his army to meet the British advance on Long Island with the east river behind him. He failed to realize that if the British brought up their fleet that his army could be trapped. The Americans anchored their defense on a ridge line of hills and defended the passes through the hills. Early on the morning of August 27 the British troops launched a coordinated feint attack on the American right and center. Unknown to the Americans facing the feint attack, General Howe had marched another body of troops into the rear of the American positions during the night. The Americans immediately began a retreat. The retreating Americans were caught in a trap between the British forces, but a valiant American rear guard action allowed a good number to get back to the American lines entrenched on Brooklyn Heights.

Long Island, New York

The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was a military action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in the present-day borough of Brooklyn, New York. The British defeated the Americans and gained control of the strategically important Port of New York, which they held for the rest of the war. It was the first major battle to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, and in troop deployment and combat, it was the largest battle of the entire war.

Wikipedia: Battle of Long Island

Continental Army

Great Britain