What was the decisive moment of the Battle of Brooklyn? Was it when the British outflanked the Americans? The heroic defense of the Maryland Regiment at the Old Stone House? When General Howe failed to annihilate the Americans at the end of the day or the next? All three could be supported by events. However, … More The Great Escape
Washington summed up the anguish of those who lived through that terrible day. A battle that both sides knew was coming with one side, clearly outgunned and outnumbered. The Americans knew that there was a good chance that all would be over for their “cause” by night fall. Between the early skirmishes on the night … More August 27, 1776: “What brave men I have lost today!”
General Israel Putnam is one of the “lost” memories of the Battle of Brooklyn and the American Revolution. In August of 1776, Washington handed over the command of the Brooklyn defenses to Putnam, the hero of Bunker Hill. “Old Put” as he was called by the American soldiers was an immensely popular commander. A butcher … More “Old Put”
Today marks the anniversary of one of the great newspaper hoaxes in New York history. In 1835, the New York Sun began printing a series of articles supposedly taken from the Edinburgh Journal of Science claiming that life had been found on the Moon. Not only could it be seen from the Earth through telescopes but had … More Look! Up in the Sky – It’s a Hoax!!
The tension in New York on August 24 must have been acute. On the 22nd, the British had landed over 15,000 soldiers onto Brooklyn’s shores, near modern Dyker Beach Park. This was just the beginning. The immense armada that sailed into New York harbor throughout July signaled that the Crown was done with talking. The … More August 24, 1776
Tomorrow, August 22, begins Battle Week in New York City. There will be events throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan commemorating the great battle that occurred on August 27 in 1776. The battle the largest of the American Revolution was fought throughout what is now Park Slope, Flatbush, Cobble Hill, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Heights and then spilled … More BATTLE WEEK BEGINS
When most Americans think of the Revolution their first image is of Bunker Hill or the Boston Tea Party or the Boston Massacre. Very few Americans know that New York played a pivotal role in the lead up to the Revolution or that its citizens were as vital to the cause as any Bostonian. Isaac … More Isaac Sears – the Sam Adams of New York
The Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article about the 9/11 Memorial outside Trinity Church. “Trinity Root” by Steve Tobin replicates the sycamore tree which stood in the cemetery of St. Paul’s Chapel and perhaps, helped save the chapel from destruction when the Twin Towers came down across the street from the historic church. … More Remembering and Forgetting
This month we celebrate the 239th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Long Island or the Battle of New York – take your pick. Whatever it is called, it is arguably the most important battle of the American Revolution, one that few New Yorkers know or pay attention to. The fighting … More Battle of New York 1776
It was fifty years ago today that the band began to play at second base at Shea Stadium. The Beatles had arrived in Queens to play in front of 55,600 screaming, hysterical fans. In scenes reminiscent of their movie “A Hard Day’s Night”, they arrived by helicopter, left by helicopter and ran out to their … More August 15, 1965
Bowery & Canal 