Battle of Long Island

Battle of Long Island, early action of the American Revolution, fought on August 27, 1776, in southwestern Long Island, on ground now lying in the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn, a borough in New York City. When the British commander Sir William Howe evacuated Boston early in 1776, General George Washington correctly anticipated that attempts would be made to capture New York City and proceeded to fortify the city and its environs. The British army encamped on Staten Island, and Howe decided to attack the isolated American forces on Brooklyn Heights, (now a residential area in the borough of Brooklyn). Accordingly, about 10,000 British troops landed on August 22 at Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn. Washington placed General Israel Putnam in command of the American troops in Brooklyn. The action began before dawn on August 27, and by noon the inexperienced and outnumbered American troops had been defeated and forced to retreat. Howe did not press the attack, and in the evening Washington crossed the East River from Manhattan and took command. By the night of August 29 it appeared likely that the British fleet would move up the river and completely cut off the American forces in Brooklyn from the main body of the army in Manhattan. Taking advantage of a fog on the night of August 29-30, however, Washington evacuated his force to Manhattan. About 1000 Americans were taken prisoner, including two generals; the British had about 400 casualties.