So for just a second, I want everyone here to try and imagine they were back in the Continental Army. Got it? Ok good. Now imagine it’s your first battle against the British, and you are excited to fight for freedom. But being an artisan, a man with no experience with war, you and your comrades get thrashed in battle. Completely smacked. Many of your friends die or are injured, screaming in pain. You represent the newest nation on earth, against the strongest nation on earth. The enemies army is better trained, better equipped, and are overwhelming in numbers, 30,000 cold-blooded killers. The Continental Army is cornered at Brooklyn Heights, presumably for a final stand. The only thing separating you from merciless British soldiers is a deep fog. You are cold, tired, and demoralized. However, when all hope is lost, you see a man shouting orders. Telling people to move crates, load horses and organize troops. Boats are being loaded up and everyone seems to be in a rush. You think “What can possibly done?” Suddenly, that same man who you saw giving orders snatches your arm, and gives you directions on where to go for evacuation. Surrounded with nowhere to go, you slowly nod and listen to him. You board a ship and cross the river, looking back to see that same man making sure everyone gets on a ship. You pray that you won’t be seen. Before you know it, you had crossed the river, away from the British trap.
Okay, to clarify in case you didn’t get my little spiel, I was describing Washington’s escape from Brooklyn. Not only was it a remarkable escape, playing with elements of both luck and ingenuity, it solidified the trust the men had in George Washington. Not only had he enacted on this crazy plan, He had managed to evacuate all surviving men, 9000 in total, without a single casualty. Just the scope of what Washington did is crazy. Another remarkable thing to remember is that Washington didn’t leave Brooklyn until all his men were evacuated. He genuinely cared for his troops and showed his determination.
On a larger scope, Washington’s escape from Britain gave hope to the newly founded nation. Even though the Continental army didn’t win the battle, the escape showed that the British could be outsmarted. From this experience, the Continental army learned not to ever face Britain in an open formal battle, but smaller guerilla tactical skirmishes were far more affective.
If Washington and the Continental army had failed to escape, we probably wouldn’t even be the United States.
-Retreat commenced on August 27, 1776
-the boats were in place for many weeks before the actual crossing, hidden from sight by George Washington's orders.
-not many men actually knew how to swim, so there were some crazy moments where someone would fall in, slowing down the process.
-the men who had to take turns chopping ice down at the shore to allow the ships to land because the water kept freezing over
-After regrouping, the men received no rest and had to march on to Trenton
Bibliography:
Levin, Jack E., and Mark R. Levin. George Washington: The Crossing. NYC: Threshold Editions, 2013. Print.
Griffith, Samuel B. The War for American Independence: From 1760 to the Surrender at Yorktown in 1781. Urbana: University of Illinois, 2002. Print.
Homberger, Eric. The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of Nearly 400 Years of New York City's History. New York: H. Holt and, 1994. Print.
Leutze, Emanuel. "USDC - District of New Hampshire - Washington Crossing the Delaware."USDC - District of New Hampshire - Washington Crossing the Delaware. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
What are other examples in the history of NYC where luck was on the side of Americans or the city's inhabitants? I can think of one example: 9/11.
ReplyDeleteWell, on 9/11 some were lucky to survive but many were not.
ReplyDeleteBut I like your question: can anyone think of other examples, whether in NYC History or in history in general?
I was thinking during Kendall's presentation today: imagine if the British had defeated Washington here and ended the war. What kind of memorial would the British have erected there?
ReplyDeleteIf winners really do write the history books, then how would the British have written about this event - or the war in general?
Interesting that you would bring this up. If Britain had ended the war at New York, a monument of the king would probably be standing in place of the Statue of Liberty (not to say that they are historically correlated). The Americans would have been portrayed as uneducated barbarians who didn't appreciate British rule. I do believe though that revolution is imminent if the masses are truly unhappy.
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DeleteCareful, Zach, we cannot state absolutely that America would still be under British rule. (After all, Canada did not fight a revolutionary war and is now independent of British rule.) We can speculate about the "what ifs" but cannot know with certainty.
DeleteThis battle was America's Dunkirk. (look it up.)
ReplyDeleteKendall, do you think the vibe of the Continental Army after the evacuation was a positive feeling of nationalism expressing their quick and strategic thinking, or more dreary because of how easily the could have just lost the war.
ReplyDeleteThe army worked without breaks through the entire night to get to the other side of the east river. The men were definitely tired and dreary, but the awe of overcoming such odds was planted in their hearts. I would like to highlight the fact that the men now felt a much stronger loyalty to George Washington because of the crossing. Also after the escape, the men of the continental army pushed on to win a decisive victory against the British. The Retreat definitely helped the moral of the soldiers rather than hurt it.
DeleteYes, in the short run. Over the long run, though, retreating became tiresome and demoralizing for many. How Washington kept the army together is remarkable ...
DeleteI like how give the depiction about how Washington's evacuation promoted a motivation the colonists. Many people demonstrate our patriarchy to be proud to be free from the British. One of the many things that people do to express their patriarchy is by singing about the freedom America has enabled from the British. Why is it that none of these songs mention or dedicate to Washington's monumental evacuation? After all, the evacuation did provide the mindset to Americans that they would continue fighting.
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