The Battle of Brooklyn and Huntington's Regiment

One part of the Battle of Brooklyn was fought up on this high ground in the Greenwood cemetery. Now, it has a plaque and for some reason a Civil War obelisk.

The American Revolution (1775-1783) did not end with July 4, 1776's Declaration of Independence. In fact, the war was just getting started. The fall and winter of 1776 would turn out to be the lowest point in the eight-year-long war for the patriots and their bewildered leader George Washington.

Fact:

Just when the delegates to the Second Constitutional Convention were celebrating their Resolution on July 2, 1776, the British troops landed on Staten Island, readying for the invation of Manhattan that would NOT occur until late August. It is a good thing the British waited to strike because if it had been in July, the delegates might not have signed the treasonous document on August 2nd in Philadelphia. July 4 is when fifty-four of them agreed to sign it later.....

View of Manhattan from Brooklyn Heights

Green-wood cemetery on the hilly heights of Brooklyn, LI. One part of the Battle of Brooklyn, it is here that the Continental Army regiments got their best shot at defeating the British troops. The gains did not last.

I am pleased with the way America250 celebrations have happened and that important lost stories and people of this era are finally being recognized. Furthermore, events are being re-examined to fully understand the war. Many earnest historians, like myself, although we do not have Ph.Ds., are trying to augment the published scholars with our own findings.

In May, I had a few days in New York and decided to go out to Brooklyn--the sight of probably the worst defeat in the whole war for Washington. As usual I did not have a lot of time but managed to visit: The Old Stone House museum and Green-wood cemetery, one site of the complicated Battle of Brooklyn (also called the Battle of Long Island).

The Old Stone House Museum, Brooklyn, NY. The Maryland 400 saw action here and prevented the bulk of the army from being decimated.

I had a private tour with the informative director, Maggie, who has been running the Old Stone House museum for a long time.https://theoldstonehouse.org/about/ This reconstructed old Dutch farm house was the site of where the Maryland troops bravely held the British at bay while the main Continental Army barely escaped from the rout and capture.

The Brooklyn museum has designated, TOMORROW, Saturday August, 22, 2026 to honor and talk about that fateful battle. The actual battle occurred from August 27-29, 1776.

Maggie gives walking tours across this part of Brooklyn to follow the paths of this large battle which was intense, physical; it ended with that dramatic escape across the East River in the early morning hours of August 29/30, 1776 (thank you Marbleheaders and General John Glover!) In between are too many details for this blog. BUT, I must mention that Jedediah Huntington's regiment was one of the few groups to give the British a fight.

The plaque on "Battle Hill." Donated by the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut.

Huntington missed the battle because he was ill with the Camp Fever that swept through the army that summer in New York. He was not the only officer to miss the battle because of illness. Many of those sickly officers survived to live another day for the future. That was fortunate because many of the ones who fought on that day, got captured in the crushing battle.

If you want to read a detailed, well-researched version of Huntington's 1776 regiment, please read the excellent: Cut Off: Colonel Jedediah Huntington's 17th Continental (Conn) Regiment at the Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776 by Charles H. Lewis (Heritage Books, 2009)

Cut Off: Colonel Jedediah Huntington's 17th Continental (Conn) Regiment at the Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776, a comprehensive account of a regiment, its leaders, the action, and aftermath.

What happened to Huntington's regiment in this battle then? After being separated from the main army, most were captured or killed. Upwards of 200 of them died in captivity (i.e. prison ships or sugar house). Lieutenant Jabez Fitch was one of the survivors.

Diary entry of Lieutenant Jabez Fitch. Pre-battle sniping and cannon fire occurred on August 24, three days before the British assault on Brooklyn, LI

John Glover

The savvy captain from Marblehead, and his diverse group of sailors, saved Washington's ass more than once including the night of August 28-29.

John Trumbull's excellent sketch of Brigadier General John Glover.

Brig. General John Glover's house in Marblehead. Another of his homes, in Swampscott, is in danger of demolition.

For more on the Continental army escape, please read this from the U.S. Naval Institute:

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2024/march/john-glover-and-george-washingtons-amphibious-regiment#:~:text=John%20Glover%20and%20the%2021st,them%20avoid%20defeat%20and%20capture.

Sources:

Jabez Fitch Diary, archive.org.

Charles H. Lewis: Cut Off: Colonel Jedediah Huntington's 17th Continental (Connecticut) Regiment at the Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776. (Heritage Press: 2009)

Theodore P. Savas and J. David Dameron, A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution. (Savas Beatie: 2013)