In August of 1776, the Revolution in America was almost snuffed out.Earlier that year, 44-year-old George Washington had marched 19,000 ragtag soldiers to Manhattan after forcing a British evacuation of Boston in the months before the declaration.
In July, the British launched an attack on the colonies with the full weight of the most powerful military in the world.British General William Howe arrived at Staten Island with 400 ships and 32,000 well-trained men.Washington was outflanked, outgunned and outmaneuvered.
On the eve of the Battle of Brooklyn in late August, Washington rallied the troops saying:The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army.Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission.
We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.Die, they did.After a brutal assault from Howe’s troops, Washington’s soldiers were forced to execute a panicked retreat into Brooklyn Heights.
With their backs pinned against the East River, they were only spared by an act of God, a dense fog, that allowed Washington to escape with 9,000 troops across the river to Manhattan.FOR 2026, YOU SHOULD MAKE A RESOLUTION TO KNOW THE REVOLUTIONGeorge Washington, portrait painting by Constable-Hamilton, 1794.From the New York Public Library.
(Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)They survived, but over the course of the fall, the new army was defeated in White Plains and Manhattan, forcing a retreat to New Jersey and leading to British occupation of New York for the remainder of the war.Morale collapsed.
Enlistments expired.Soldiers deserted.
The future looked grim.As we celebrate 250 years of American identity, it’s easy to forget how rocky that path has been.The Revolutionary War lasted six years of active fighting (eight before a formal treaty), with the British on the brink of victory for much of that time.
Emerging from the end of the war, the American movemen...