WASHINGTON'S PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE FROM BROOKLYN HEIGHTS IN AUGUST 1776

Following a costly defeat at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, General Charles Lee retreated to Brooklyn Heights, where his Americans were out-numbered three-to-one. British General William Howe ordered his men to dig in and bring his canon into range. George Washington arrived to take command on August 27th, and began overseeing the construction of new fortifications on the Heights. A serendipitous downpour made further British attacks unlikely. The next day additional troops arrived to boost the number of men under Washington's command to 9,000.

Washington soon realized that he had placed his forces in a trap by splitting his troops between Manhattan and Long Island, as the waterways were controlled by British warships. The British Navy could cut off Washington's forces by moving their ships from the New Jersey Shore to the East River. At this juncture, unusual weather conditions intervened. Unfavorable northeast winds prevented the British from moving their ships up New York Bay to encircle the American position. This mile wide channel was Washington's only possible path of retreat. The rain continued and on the night of August 29th an unusual northeast breeze began. The seagoing soldiers of John Glover's Marblehead Massachusetts Regiment were called on to ferry the American troops across the East River to Manhattan, and the exodus began at 9 PM. The wind ceased at Midnight, and Glover's men muffled their oarlocks. After an hour of calmness a gentle southwesterly breeze erupted, which allowed the Marblehead men to hoist sails, increasing the rate of transport by four-fold. By this time the sky had cleared and the moon was shinning brightly.

When first light appeared, the evacuation of 9,000 American troops was far from complete, the oarsmen needed at least three more hours. The soldiers occupying the front line trenches and huddled along the beach, worried that they would be spotted or left behind. Then, rising out of the wet ground and off the East River came a dense fog, which covered the entire river. When the sun rose the miraculous fog did not lift! The entire Army was extracted, except for the heaviest caliber canon. Just as the last boat pulled into the channel with General Washington aboard, the fog began to lift and dissipate. 9000 men had been saved from certain capture or destruction, and the American cause preserved.