This Day in History: General Washington anticipates British strategy

[History Bot]

On August 12, 1776, General George Washington writes to Major General Charles Lee that the Continental Army’s situation had deteriorated due to an outbreak of smallpox and problems with desertion. Washington feared that the superior British navy might blockade New York, thus isolating the city from communications with other states.

Washington was correct that the British intended to capture New York City and gain control of the Hudson River, a victory that would divide the rebellious colonies in half. British General William Howe’s large army landed on Long Island, however, 10 days later than they had planned, on August 22. Finally, on August 27, the Redcoats marched against the Patriot position at Brooklyn Heights, overcoming the Americans at Gowanus Pass and then outflanking the entire Continental Army. The Americans suffered 1,000 casualties to the British loss of only 400 men during the fighting. After the victory, Howe chose not to follow the advice of his subordinates and did not storm the Patriot redoubts at Brooklyn Heights, where he could have taken the Patriots’ military leadership prisoner and ended the rebellion.

General Washington ordered a retreat to Manhattan by boat. The British could easily have prevented this retreat and captured most of the Patriot officer corps, including Washington. General William Howe and his brother, Admiral Richard Howe, however, still hoped to convince the Americans to rejoin the British empire in the wake of the humiliating defeat, instead of forcing the former colonies into submission after executing Washington and his officers as traitors. Indeed, on September 11, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and other congressional representatives reopened negotiations with the Howe brothers on Staten Island; the negotiations fell through when the British refused to accept American independence.

The British captured New York City on September 15; it would remain in British hands until the end of the war.

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[Kzoo]

Bump

 

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

Thank you, SW!

[Ralphie ★]

Good stuff!  Thaddeus is going to love it!  I never knew all this stuff!

[Square Wheels]

2 hours ago, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said:

Thank you, SW!

Not working yet.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

43 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

Not working yet.

Well...

then, I guess I have to say...

No thank you, SW! 

 

[Square Wheels]

OK, so history.com got back to me, they do not have a way to customize the feed.  I am going to turn it off.

I found a few others we can test.

Please let me know if you like one of these, or know of another one.

https://www.onthisday.com/

https://www.historytoday.com/history-todays-rss-feeds

https://blog.feedspot.com/american_history_rss_feeds/ <-- there are 70 there

 

[maddmaxx ★]

10 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

OK, so history.com got back to me, they do not have a way to customize the feed.  I am going to turn it off.

I found a few others we can test.

Please let me know if you like one of these, or know of another one.

https://www.onthisday.com/

https://www.historytoday.com/history-todays-rss-feeds

https://blog.feedspot.com/american_history_rss_feeds/ <-- there are 70 there

 

Ahh.  I just posted some or all of these in the other thread.  On this day gives several events for each day including some film and cultural events as well.

[MickinMD ★]

Thomas Jefferson wrote that Washington was excellent at planning a military action, but weak at reacting correctly when it didn't go according to script.

One wonders how much of the positive outcomes were due to Lafayette, etc. There is a road that comes out of Annapolis that now ends less than halfway to Baltimore that passes a couple miles from the high school at which I taught.

It's called "General's Highway" and the General was Lafayette. He had rushed south to bring southern troops to Washington's aid in PA and NJ and they marched along that road when they got into Maryland and the road passed through Baltimore back then.  There's also a "Fayette" street in Baltimore, named after Lafayette, but it runs E-W, not the N-S direction he would have been moving troops.

When American troops landed in France in 1917 during WW1 and passed by the tomb of the Marquis de Lafayette, Colonel Charles Stanton spoke in front of the tomb while the American soldiers stood at attention.  He said, "Lafayette, nous voilà," (Lafayette, we are here."  He had a great, positive influence on Washington's success.