Washington

Many Brooklynites today may not realize that their borough was the scene of the first major battle of the American Revolution in August 1776. The British had gathered a major fleet with over 25,000 men and marshaled their forces on nearby Staten Island. Washington unwisely split his army of almost 20,000 between defending New York City, located in what is today Battery Park area, and Brooklyn. The Heights of Guan, known today as Prospect Heights were considered key to defending New York. In John Gallagher’s Battle for Brooklyn, 1776 published by Castle Books, we get a pretty clear picture of the situation. The Battle of Brooklyn, sometimes known as Battle of Long Island as well, was going to be the first major battle of the war. After collecting their forces all summer, the British finally made their move by crossing from Staten Island and landing at Gravesend Bay, Brooklyn. They advanced slowly to what is today Flatbush, and halted.

The main American line was on Brooklyn Heights, with a series of entrenchments and fortifications. In front of this was the heavily wooded area of the Heights of Guan, corresponding roughly to Prospect Park area today. Here the Americans had placed an outer line of defenses under the loose command of Maj-Gen John Sullivan. Sullivan Street is today named after him in New York’s Greenwich Village. He was assisted by Israel Putnam, brave, but over his head in commanding anything more than a regiment or two. Alexander Stirling, self styled as Lord Stirling because the British crown had rejected his claim for an earldom, commanded the American Right near the Harbor and the Gowanus swamp. The intent was to slow the British advance, forcing them to fight through rough, wooded terrain, well suited to the tactics of the rebel militia and inexperienced Continental regular soldiers. The problem was that the British were not willing to cooperate in this regard.  read more »

Did Washington wage a secret war while he was at Valley Forge? Yes and no. Against the British he had to maintain a vigorous war of outposts while they occupied Philadelphia. But the other war he had to fight was against his own generals. In Thomas Fleming's Washington's Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge (Smithsonian Books, 2005)
Washington was not only threatened from the British, but from increasing political enemies as well. Conway, Mifflin and Gates were all ambitious officers with little military talent, but great scheming abilities off the battlefield. Together this trio of military politicos formed what would be known as the Conway Cabal. With Congress discontented with Washington's recent combat record, the way seemed open to bring about his downfall.

Fleming is unabashed in his worship of Washington. He never ceases in admiration of his patience, long suffering and ability to sustain personal and political injury, in addition to military defeats. In a sense the author praises him with the same admiration that scared many of the general's contemporaries. Some in Congress felt that Washington was being hailed as a Demigod, and were fearful of the powers they had given him to run the army. As Fleming carefully points out, the General never misused these powers, but in a new state struggling to remove any kind of central authority, such influence was widely feared.  read more »