This work is a 19th-century historical study of the Battle of Long Island (1776), placed within the broader early campaign of the American Revolutionary War. Published by the Long Island Historical Society in 1869, it combines narrative reconstruction with documentary compilation, aiming to present both the battle itself and the operational context leading up to and following it.
The study focuses on the British and Hessian campaign to seize control of New York in the summer of 1776. It describes the coordination between British regular forces and German auxiliary troops drawn from the Electorate of Hesse, who formed part of the expeditionary army under British command. These forces were deployed in a converging operation designed to outflank and defeat the Continental Army under Washington.
A central portion of the work examines the battle of 27 August 1776, emphasizing troop movements across Long Island’s terrain, including the flanking maneuver through the Jamaica Pass that contributed to the American defeat. The Hessian contingent plays a significant role in the narrative, particularly in the fighting around Brooklyn Heights and in maintaining pressure on American positions during the engagement.
The book also treats the “connected preceding events,” including the British landing on Long Island and the positioning of forces prior to the battle, as well as the “subsequent American retreat,” which describes the evacuation of Continental troops across the East River to Manhattan. This retreat is presented as a critical moment in the survival of the Continental Army during the early phase of the war.
Published nearly a century after the events it describes, the work reflects the commemorative and documentary interests of 19th-century American historical societies. It draws on military reports, earlier histories, and local tradition to reconstruct the campaign, often emphasizing tactical clarity and narrative coherence. The Hessian troops are treated as integral components of the British expeditionary force, illustrating the multinational composition of the army that operated in the New York theater in 1776.
