Battle of Brooklyn 1776

by Gallagher, John J.

• ISBN13: 9780785816638
• ISBN10: 0785816631
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-04-01
• Publisher: Book Sales

Summary

It is not often realized that in Brooklyn, New York, for a few tense hours in 1776, the fate of the entire United States hung by a thread. An American defeat, the Battle of Brooklyn has been all but neglected in our collective memory for what it earned with the blood of its participants -- honored status as one of history's great battles. Besides being the largest clash of the Revolution, in terms of both troops and casualties, the action at Brooklyn (sometimes called "The Battle of Long Island") brought the fledgling American republic to the brink of disaster. At the height of the fighting, only the valiant sacrifice of one regiment -- the Marylanders -- staved off a catastrophe. The British army, meanwhile, executed a three-pronged surprise assault with admirable professionalism. The wilds of Brooklyn became a killing ground for the British and Hessian troops who were able to begin the war convinced the colonials would not be able to stand against their onslaught of bullets and steel.

Author Biography

John J. Gallagher, formerly a member of U.S. Military Intelligence and currently a forensic historian, has written extensively on military history and architecture

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Foreword	xiii
James Dingeman
Introduction: ``Democratic Warfare''	1	(12)
``A kind of key to the whole continent''	13	(12)
``Kindness and real abundance is everywhere''	25	(12)
``By lies they lured them, by liquor they tempted them''	37	(12)
``A multitude of people . . . under very little discipline, order or government''	49	(12)
``I thought all London was afloat''	61	(12)
``As we can now bring all our guns to bear . . .''	73	(14)
``Be cool, but determined; do not fire at a distance''	87	(10)
``Across these hills . . . the nearest way to Gowanus''	97	(12)
``If I see any man turn his back today, I will shoot him through''	109	(14)
``Our men fought with more than Roman valor''	123	(12)
``How many were lost upon the Island is yet uncertain''	135	(10)
``This retreat should hold a high place among military transaction''	145	(10)
After ``The Fox''	155	(12)
``The next Augustan Age will dawn on the other side of the Atlantic''	167	(6)
Postscript	173	(4)
Appendix A: American Order of Battle	177	(4)
Appendix B: British Order of Battle	181	(4)
Citations	185	(6)
Bibliography	191	(6)
Index	197