American Revolution | The Times That Try Men's Souls

In July 1776, New York City became the strategic battleground of the American Revolution. Just days after Congress declared independence, the largest armada ever to cross the Atlantic appeared on the horizon, bent on crushing the rebellion. Over the following months, General George Washington faced an impossible challenge: defending a vital port with a motley, outnumbered army against the most powerful military force on earth. The campaign that followed brought the Continental Army to the brink of disintegration, tested Washington’s leadership, and produced the desperate gamble that saved the cause.

The British Invasion and the Battle of Long Island

On June 29, 1776, American lookouts on Staten Island spotted 45 British warships sailing toward New York Harbor. Within days, British Commander-in-Chief General William Howe began landing soldiers on Staten Island, awaiting the arrival of more than 400 ships carrying 32,000 soldiers, 10,000 sailors, and 1,200 cannons. Colonel Henry Knox described the scene: “My God, you can scarcely conceive of the distress and anxiety, the city in an uproar, the alarm guns firing, the troops repairing to their posts.”