Battle of Long Island

Battle of Long Island, successful British action in Brooklyn, New York, on August 27–29, 1776, against the American Continental Army. It was the first major battle of the American Revolution after the Declaration of Independence announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain on July 4.

The battle initiated the British campaign of 1776 to seize control of New York and thereby isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. After the British evacuation from Boston in March, the British general Lord William Howe moved to occupy New York City under the protection of a British fleet that commanded the surrounding waters. To protect his left flank, the defending American general, George Washington, stationed one-third of his troops (numbering no more than 20,000 trained soldiers) on the Long Island side of the East River, where they erected fortifications. A Continental Army division under Major General Nathanael Greene occupied a line of fortifications on Long Island’s Brooklyn Heights, across the East River from New York City.

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From his encampment on Staten Island, Howe planned to attack by land while warships blocked the river, trapping the Americans. On August 22, his force of almost 30,000 British regulars and Hessian mercenaries landed on the south beaches of Long Island. The Americans reinforced their strength to 9,000 men, but Greene fell ill and was replaced by Major General Israel Putnam, a less capable soldier. About 6,500 men manned the main American positions while the rest were placed forward to block the three approach roads up to the Heights. Howe divided his men into three assault columns, one for each road.

After midnight on August 27, Howe’s left and central columns marched forward, causing Putnam to shift units to meet the threat. Meanwhile, the main British attack swung right and, finding the road undefended, attacked the American rear. Surprised and outnumbered, American units fled to the main defense line. Several regiments fought desperate rear-guard actions but were overwhelmed; the First Maryland Regiment under William Alexander, the Scottish Earl of Stirling, showed exemplary bravery in the fight, making it possible for hundreds of Continentals to escape to the defenses at Brooklyn Heights. Despite his initial success, Howe paused two days in front of the American fortifications to prepare a final assault. When a storm drove the British warships downriver, Washington used the opportunity to abandon Long Island. During the night of August 29, the bulk of the American army crossed the East River to Manhattan, a successful escape that helped repair low American morale, especially because, eyewitnesses report, Washington was the last Continental to leave Brooklyn. Even so, following two more defeats, Washington was forced to withdraw to New Jersey, and the British held New York for the entirety of the Revolutionary War.

Losses: American, 300 dead, 650–800 wounded, 1,100 captured; British and German, 64 dead, 314 wounded, missing, or captured.