The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn: Including a new and circumstantial account of the battle of Long island and the loss of New York, with a review of events to the close of the yearJohnston, Henry Phelps
History
The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn: Including a new and circumstantial account of the battle of Long island and the loss of New York, with a review of events to the close of the year
Johnston, Henry Phelps
Long Island, Battle of, New York, N.Y., 1776; New York (N.Y.) -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
[Footnote 205: Heath states that Henley was buried by Knowlton's side,
and the spot is indicated in the orders of September 24th: "Thomas
Henley will be buried this P.M. from the quarters of Maj. David Henley
below the hill where the redoubt is thrown up on the road." During the
action of the 16th, troops were throwing up intrenchments across the
island at about One Hundred and Forty-fifth Street. This was the first
and most southerly of the three lines constructed on the Heights.
Sauthier's map, the authority in the case, shows this line with a
battery across the King's Bridge Road, just at the top of what is
known as Breakneck Hill. It was on the slope of this hill that
Knowlton and Henley were buried. Mr. Lossing puts his grave in one of
the redoubts on the second line, afterwards included in Trinity
Cemetery; but that line had not been thrown up when Knowlton died.
(Silliman's letter of September 17th, P.M. Part II., page 55.) Mr. Jay
and others have suggested the erection of a monument to Knowlton and
Leitch. No finer site could be found than the spot where they fell in
Morningside Park.
Respecting Major Henley, spoken of by Washington as "another of our
best officers," see Glover's letter, _Document_ 35.]
The battle of the 16th was followed by inactivity on the part of the
British, and Washington securely established himself on Harlem
Heights. The chief excitement was the occurrence of the great fire on
the night of the 21st of September, which broke out near Whitehall
Slip, in New York, and destroyed a fourth of the city. In addition to
accounts of the calamity already published and generally familiar, the
experiences of Pastor Shewkirk, as given in his diary in the present
work, will be read with interest.
CHAPTER VII.
WHITE PLAINS--FORT WASHINGTON.
What now remains to be noticed as coming within the scope of the
present narrative are those incidents which led to the evacuation of
Harlem Heights by our army, and the subsequent capture of Fort
Washington, by which the British finally came into the possession of
the whole of New York Island.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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