Barnet Schecter Libros

On 15 September 1776, the British army under General William Howe invaded Manhattan Island with the largest expeditionary force in their history. George Washington's Continental Army, still reeling from the disastrous Battle of Brooklyn two weeks earlier, retreated to Harlem Heights, leaving New York in British hands. Control of the city was Howe's primary objective, as it was strategically located at the mouth of the Hudson River, central to England's strategy to suppress the American rebellion. However, New York ultimately became a critical point that undermined the British war effort. The narrative explores how the city evolved into a focal point of the American Revolution, detailing the political and religious struggles of the 1760s and early 1770s that polarized its citizens and fostered radical thought and action. It covers the 1776 campaign that transformed New York into battlefields and the subsequent seven years of British occupation, during which Washington and Congress were resolute in their efforts to reclaim the city. This military venture was the largest of the Revolutionary War, involving significant participants from both sides, and the outcome profoundly influenced the war's major turning points.

On 15 September 1776, the British army, led by General William Howe, invaded Manhattan with the largest expeditionary force in their history. Following the disastrous Battle of Brooklyn, George Washington's Continental Army retreated to Harlem Heights, leaving New York in British hands. Control of the city was Howe's main goal, as it was strategically vital at the mouth of the Hudson River and central to England's strategy against the American rebellion. However, as Barnet Schecter reveals, New York became a fatal chalice for the British war effort. The narrative explores how the city transformed from a center of political and religious struggle in the 1760s and early 1770s into a hotbed of radical thought and action. The campaign of 1776 turned New York into a series of battlefields, leading to seven years of British occupation, during which Washington and Congress were determined to reclaim the city. The extraordinary autumn campaign of 1776, the largest military venture of the Revolutionary War, involved nearly every significant participant on both sides, with the fate of America hanging in the balance. The outcome directly influenced the major turning points of the war that followed.