This Saturday, August 27 marks the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn, also sometimes called the Battle of Long Island because where the fighting took place, in what is now Prospect Park, Park Slope, and Green-Wood Cemetery, wasn’t yet part of Brooklyn. It was the first battle in which regular Patriot troops under the […]
Tag Archives | George Washington
Winter Walk Photos
These photos were taken on walks yeterday (Friday) afternoon and this (Saturday) morning. The first was taken from Cadman Plaza East, looking west across Cadman Plaza Park, with lower Manhattan in the background. More photos and text follow the jump. Snowboarding on the slope between Washington Street and the Brooklyn Bridge on-ramp. The Manhattan Bridge […]
Washington’s Escape from Brooklyn Heights to be Commemorated Saturday
Most Americans know about Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, preparatory to the young Continental Army’s victories at Trenton and Princeton. Lesser known is his crossing of the East River four months before, done under cover of night, allowing his troops to leave their position on Brooklyn Heights where, with their backs to the water, they […]
George and Abe Both Knew the Nabe
As we’ve noted before, in late August of 1776 General George Washington spent several days and nights here in Brooklyn Heights. It can’t have been a pleasant time for him: his Continental Army fought the British for the first time, and suffered defeat. Afterward, the weather was bad, though that would prove to be a […]
Noted Historian to Discuss Washington and His Maps at BHS Sunday
Historian and sculptor Barnet Schecter, author of The Battle for New York, which tells the story of how George Washington’s army first fought British forces in what is now Prospect Park and Park Slope, afterwards encamping on Brooklyn Heights before escaping by boat to Manhattan, will be at the Brooklyn Historical Society, Clinton and Pierrepont […]
Washington Was Here, 234 Years Ago
On this day in 1776, what would prove to be the largest battle of the Revolutionary War happened just to the east of Brooklyn Heights, which was then the site of the principal encampment of the Continental Army on Long Island. The battle was originally called the Battle of Long Island, as much of it […]
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