The Battle for New York Staff Ride: September 2009

The Narrows

(View from Fort Hamilton)In June 1776, British transports arrived in lower New York Harbor. General Howe camped on Staten Island. Within weeks, the British invasion force across the harbor grew to over 32,000 men including several thousand German mercenaries. On August 22, after the failure of peace overtures, General Howe landed 15,000 men unopposed on Gravesend Bay. Admiral Richard Howe commanding the British armada provided naval gun cover with frigates anchored in the Narrows. Throughout the morning, transports ferried redcoats, German jaegers and grenadiers from Staten Island to Gravesend Bay. By noon, almost 5,000 men and about 40 cannons were safely on Long Island.

The Old Stone House

The Vechte-Cortelyou House near the former Gowanus Creek was originally built by Nicholas Vechte in 1699. On August 27, 1776, British and Hessian soldiers used the fieldstone and brick house as an artillery position from where they attacked American soldiers who fled Battle Pass for the safety of American forts across the Gowanus Creek. Its sturdy, two-foot thick walls and its strategic position made it the focus of the most dramatic event of the day. 400 soldiers of the First Maryland Regiment under the command of Colonel William Smallwood attacked the farmhouse six times, gaining it twice from the British. They were ultimately repulsed by the sheer number of redcoats. Of the 400 Marylanders, only 10 successfully escaped to Brooklyn Heights.

Fulton Ferry

Following the calamitous battle, General Washington realized that his position was untenable. Admiral Richard Howe had the means to cut off the rebels’ escape by moving the fleet to the East River blocking the escape route to Manhattan. For various reasons, he did not use the Royal Navy to end the rebellion. On August 29, Washington took advantage of the darkness, a heavy night fog, and the lack of enemy ships to silently withdraw the Continental Army in small boats. The next morning, the British attacked empty American positions.