New York is Not Boston
This Week in 1776, #30
“This Week in 1776” is an ongoing almanac of events from that year in the American Revolution. Be sure to check out my novel HEARTLANDERS.
THE BRITISH NAVY ARRIVES
On July 12, the Redcoats finally pull into New York and sail right past the batteries at Fort Washington and Fort Lee, shrugging off artillery fire from none other than Alexander Hamilton. It’s a major flex for the Tories and a major demoralization for the Patriots, who expected after their success in Boston and so much preparation at New York to present a more formidable challenge than that.
HMS Phoenix (44 guns) and HMS Rose (20 guns) dropped anchor in the “Tappan Zee” (Hudson River) near Tarrytown, which is modern-day Sleepy Hollow. (Hey, paid subscribers: scroll down for a treat for you guys!) This position allowed the British to start throttling American supply lines. More ships would come later in the week, including Admiral Richard Howe and the HMS Eagle. He would deliver roughly 30,000 troops once he had control of this point in the river, which was about three miles across, and had a depth ranging between twenty and thirty feet depending on the tide.
Washington’s letters to Congress reflected his awareness of American vulnerability and the precariousness of their position.
Elsewhere in the colonies, copies of the Declaration continued to circulate, and citizens heard live readings of the document and its contents.
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