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 — Key Ideas to Explore

A City Transformed into a Fortified Base

The preface establishes New York and Brooklyn as a landscape of fortification: 'Forts, redoubts, batteries, and intrenchments encircled the town.' Johnston details how streets were barricaded, roads blocked, and river navigation obstructed. The transformation is concrete—where stores and warehouses now stand, Washington placed alarm posts; where costly residences rise, men fought and died. This section traces the physical conversion of a flourishing commercial city into a military base, with troops quartered along Broad Street and the North and East rivers, and permanent camps on Grand Street. The author's attention to the geography of 1776—compiling maps and describing the environs—allows readers to overlay the historical defenses onto the present-day boroughs, making the past tangible.

The Battle of Long Island Through Soldiers' Eyes

Johnston includes letters that convey the chaos and immediacy of the Battle of Long Island. On August 29, 1776, Henshaw wrote: 'we have had an engagement with the Enemy—were surrounded, & had a Number Killed & Taken.' The letters are fragmentary, often written 'in haste,' and reveal the uncertainty of the moment—'The Particulars of which I have not time to relate as the Enemy are close to us.' Another letter from September 1 reports the evacuation of Long Island and the capture of Generals Lord Stirling and Sullivan. These documents, reproduced with original spelling and punctuation, provide a counterpoint to the strategic narrative. They show how soldiers processed defeat, injury, and the constant threat of attack, while also noting small victories: 'we had but one Kill'd in this Battle' and 'We took 14 Hessians one Day.'

Movement and Skirmish: The Campaign's Shifting Front

The campaign's structure is defined by rapid movement and repeated skirmishes. Letters from White Plains in October 1776 describe a 'continual firing of Small Arms' as the enemy encamped 'within Gun shot.' Johnston records a series of engagements: a battle where 'about 2000 of them came on a height of Land' and attacked a picquet; an assault on Fort Washington where ships were 'much damaged' and the enemy retreated three times before being pursued. The narrative jumps between locations—Flat Bush, King's Bridge, Terry Town—mirroring the fluid front. The author's inclusion of casualty figures ('Kill'd & Wounded, 75—in the whole Kill'd & Wounded on our side, about 100') and the mention of 'Rogers Scouts' and Hessian deserters gives a granular view of the campaign's ebb and flow, emphasizing the uncertainty faced by both sides.

The Role of Original Documents in the Narrative

Part II of the volume is devoted to original documents, including letters, returns, and orders. Johnston preserves the language of the period—'reconnoissance' for 'reconnaissance,' 'aid' for 'aide'—and notes that obvious printer errors have been corrected while archaic spellings remain. The letters are not merely appended but integrated into the narrative, providing evidence for claims about troop movements and morale. For instance, a letter from October 31 describes a 'Scouting Party' that captured 30 prisoners and killed a number of the enemy, while another notes the release of two Hessians back to their camp. These documents anchor the author's analysis in primary sources, allowing readers to weigh the evidence themselves. The structure—alternating between Johnston's prose and the raw voices of participants—creates a dialogue between historian and witness.

Readers will find that the work rewards attention to its documentary layers: the letters and reports are not decorative but essential to understanding the campaign's texture. Johnston's method—placing strategic overview alongside personal testimony—invites comparison between official accounts and the hurried, sometimes contradictory, words of those who were there. The maps and portraits included in the original edition further ground the narrative in place and person. For those interested in the Revolution's early years, this volume offers a close, evidence-based look at a pivotal moment when the war came to the streets and fields of New York and Brooklyn.

Sometimes a history lingers less for its battles than for its quiet accusations. That old volume on New York’s lost summer carries the ache of choices, of honor weighed against survival. Reading it, I often thought of Colonel John Brown, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Brave Accuser of Benedict Arnold — A Closer Reading, whose lonely cry against betrayal feels like the same bitter wind.