On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence announced that thirteen British colonies had joined to create the United States of America, and only two months later in Brooklyn the survival of that new nation was tested in battle. Although clashes with the British had come before, the Battle of Brooklyn was the debut of the Continental Army and its untested commander-in-chief, Gen. George Washington. After setbacks in New England, the British concentrated their forces in and around New York City, planning to crush the rebellion by separating New England from the mid-Atlantic and Southern colonies, while the Americans prepared to defend New York by fortifying Brooklyn Heights and other key positions around the city. British efforts to negotiate an end to the rebellion failed because the Americans would not retreat from independence, and on August 22 British troops and supplies began landing in Brooklyn. On August 27, Washington’s army of 9,000 faced more than 20,000 experienced British and Hessian troops, and the Americans were overpowered after being outnumbered and outmaneuvered. Though the Battle of Brooklyn, also known as the Battle of Long Island, was a clear American defeat, it strengthened patriotism in the new nation and gave both soldiers and civilians the resolve to continue the struggle for independence as Washington and his troops retreated from Brooklyn.
