New York City

Battle of Long Island

The Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776, was the largest engagement of the Revolutionary War. General Howe landed approximately 20,000 troops on the western end of Long Island and executed a flanking march through the unguarded Jamaica Pass that rolled up the American left. Washington's army of roughly 10,000, many of them inexperienced militia, was driven back to Brooklyn Heights with heavy losses. The disaster was compounded by a two-day rainstorm that made evacuation difficult. On the night of August 29-30, Washington organized a desperate retreat across the East River to Manhattan, using every available boat. The entire army crossed in a single night, with a fortuitous morning fog covering the final boats. The army was saved, but the defeat made clear that New York could not be held.

British Occupation of New York Begins

British forces landed at Kip's Bay on September 15, 1776, and took control of Manhattan after American militia units broke and ran under naval bombardment. Washington reportedly cried out in frustration as his troops fled without firing a shot. The British occupation of New York that began that day would last over seven years — the longest occupation of any American city during the war. New York became the British military headquarters, a Loyalist refuge, and a center of intelligence operations. The occupation transformed the city's population, economy, and physical landscape. Many patriot residents fled, replaced by Loyalists from across the colonies. The city that the British eventually abandoned in 1783 was fundamentally different from the one they had captured.

The Great Fire of New York

A massive fire broke out in lower Manhattan on September 21, 1776, just days after the British occupied the city. The blaze destroyed approximately 500 buildings — roughly a quarter of the city. The British suspected American sabotage, though the cause was never definitively established. Washington had proposed burning the city to deny it to the British, but Congress had refused. Whether the fire was arson or accident, the destruction devastated the city's housing stock and contributed to the overcrowding and suffering that characterized the occupation. Burned-out districts remained rubble throughout the war, and many residents were forced into makeshift shelters.

Execution of Nathan Hale

Captain Nathan Hale, a young Connecticut schoolteacher serving in the Continental Army, was captured behind British lines in New York while on an intelligence mission. He was brought before General Howe and hanged as a spy on September 22, 1776, without trial. Hale's reported last words — "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" — became one of the Revolution's most famous quotations, though the exact phrasing is disputed. Hale was twenty-one years old. His execution, and the dignity with which he reportedly faced it, made him a patriot martyr and a symbol of the sacrifices demanded by the cause of independence.

Prison Ships in Wallabout Bay

The British anchored decommissioned vessels in Wallabout Bay (present-day Brooklyn Navy Yard) to hold American prisoners of war. Conditions on the ships — particularly the infamous HMS Jersey — were horrific. Prisoners were packed below decks with inadequate food, water, and ventilation. Disease was rampant. The dead were buried in shallow graves along the Brooklyn shore. An estimated 11,500 American prisoners died on the prison ships during the war — more than twice the number killed in all the battles of the Revolution combined. The prison ship dead were largely forgotten until the early nineteenth century, when their remains were reinterred at what is now the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn.

Fall of Fort Washington

Fort Washington, the last American position on Manhattan, fell to a British and Hessian assault on November 16, 1776. Nearly 3,000 American troops were captured — the largest loss of prisoners until the fall of Charleston in 1780. Margaret Corbin was wounded during the battle while manning her husband's cannon after he was killed. The loss was a blow to American morale and demonstrated the futility of trying to hold fixed positions against overwhelming force. Washington had been persuaded against his better judgment to maintain the garrison, and the capture reinforced his growing conviction that the Continental Army must avoid pitched battles it could not win.

Evacuation Day

On November 25, 1783, the last British troops departed New York City, and Washington led the Continental Army into the city in a triumphal procession. The event, known as Evacuation Day, was celebrated in New York as a holiday for decades. A final act of British defiance — nailing the Union Jack to a greased flagpole at the Battery — was overcome when an American soldier climbed the pole and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes. The departure marked the end of over seven years of occupation and the effective conclusion of the war. Washington hosted a farewell dinner for his officers at Fraunces Tavern on December 4, where he famously embraced each officer in an emotional farewell before departing for Annapolis to resign his commission.

Washington's Farewell at Fraunces Tavern

On December 4, 1783, George Washington gathered his remaining officers at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan for a farewell dinner. After eight years of war, Washington was preparing to resign his commission and return to private life — a decision that astonished Europeans accustomed to victorious generals seizing power. Washington reportedly said, "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you." He then embraced each officer individually. Henry Knox, his chief of artillery, was the first. Many men wept openly. Washington then walked to the Whitehall slip and boarded a barge for New Jersey, beginning his journey to Annapolis. The scene at Fraunces Tavern became one of the most celebrated moments in the nation's founding narrative.

Washington's First Inauguration at Federal Hall

On April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States on the balcony of Federal Hall at the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets. Chancellor Robert R. Livingston administered the oath. Washington wore a suit of American-made brown broadcloth — a deliberate gesture toward domestic manufacturing. The crowd that gathered below was enormous by the standards of the day. Washington's inaugural address, delivered in the Senate chamber inside, was brief and uncharacteristically hesitant — he was genuinely uncertain about his fitness for the role. He received no salary for his military service and initially intended to decline the presidential salary as well, though he was persuaded to accept it. After the ceremony, Washington and members of Congress walked to St. Paul's Chapel for a service of thanksgiving, establishing a precedent followed by several of his successors.

Alexander Hamilton Killed in Duel with Aaron Burr

On the morning of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Vice President Aaron Burr met on the dueling grounds at Weehawken, New Jersey, directly across the Hudson from Manhattan. Hamilton was shot and mortally wounded; he died the following day at a friend's home in Greenwich Village and was buried at Trinity Church in lower Manhattan. The duel ended the life of the former Secretary of the Treasury and the architect of the American financial system at age 49, and effectively ended Burr's political career. Hamilton left behind a letter indicating he intended to withhold his fire — a claim disputed by Burr's supporters. The loss devastated New York's Federalist political world. Hamilton's grave at Trinity Church became, and remains, one of the most visited sites in lower Manhattan.