On 27 August 1776 British and American forces fought the Battle of Brooklyn (also called the Battle of Long Island), the first major battle after the Declaration of Independence. The British won, but Washington’s army escaped across the East River.
After the battle, General George Washington’s army retreated across the East River under cover of night and fog, an escape sometimes called one of the most skilful retreats in American military history. The British then held New York City for the rest of the war. Thousands of American prisoners died aboard prison ships anchored in Wallabout Bay, and the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park commemorates them.
Visitors can follow the battle at several sites, including the Old Stone House in Park Slope, a reconstruction of a Dutch farmhouse that stood at the centre of the fighting, and Green-Wood Cemetery, where Battle Hill is the highest point in Brooklyn. Both places hold regular tours and talks.