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.