The Battle of Long Island was fought for two days starting August 27, 1776, and was the only battle fought in New York City during the American Revolutionary War. The battle is also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights.
The British initiated the Battle of Long Island to gain control of New York and isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. After the British evacuation from Boston in March, the British general Lord William Howe moved to occupy New York City under the protection of a British fleet that commanded the surrounding waters. On August 21, the British landed on the shores of Gravesend Bay in southwest Kings County, across the Narrows from Staten Island and more than a dozen miles south of the established East River crossings to Manhattan. After five days of waiting, the British attacked the American defenses on the Guan Heights.
To protect his left flank, the defending American general, George Washington, stationed one-third of his troops (numbering no more than 20,000 trained soldiers) on the Long Island side of the East River. In addition, a Continental Army division under Major General Nathanial Greene occupied a line of fortifications on Long Island’s Brooklyn Heights, across the East River from New York City.
Unknown to the Americans, however, General Howe had brought his main army around their rear and attacked their flank soon after. The Americans panicked, resulting in significant troop losses. The remainder of the army retreated to the primary defenses on Brooklyn Heights. The British dug in for a siege, but on August 29–30, Washington evacuated the entire army to Manhattan without losing supplies or single life. Thus, the Continental Army was driven out of New York after several more defeats and retreat from New York through New Jersey to retrench Pennsylvania.
