Patrick K. O'Donnell

And the colonists realized that if they were dependent on British goods or dependent on gunpowder or whatever, that they would not have freedom. And that rings true today as much as ever. Dependency is a very important thing to avoid. As you mentioned though, Steve,

In 1776, they pull up with two thirds of the British fleet to Long Island. Most of their army, about 65 to 70%, as well as over 10,000 Hessian members or allies that they hire to crush the rebellion. It's a show of force. They're there to destroy and crush the rebellion.

um initially first they try to negotiate but washington and his lieutenants and battle captains realized that laurel really has no authority to actually have to hear their grievances or to recognize the independence of the united states this is uh and we're going to take a short commercial break here in a moment this force

best lieutenants, captains that he is fighting with killed right in front of him as they are attacking Bunker Hill. If there hadn't been a shortage of gunpowder, the Americans may have very well held the hill, but they run out of gunpowder and they're eventually overrun after several assaults.

But it's these massive casualties that really influences Howe in an attempt to preserve His Majesty's troops as well as the German allies that he has. So he's trying to conduct blanking maneuvers whenever possible and avoid another bunker hill or direct frontal assault. And this is where the Washington's Immortals play a key role in the sense it buys them important time.

And then there's not much daylight left to assault the American fortifications at Brooklyn Heights. Had Howe done that, it's very possible that they might have carried the day and basically crushed the rebellion. There was about 10,000 troops that were in Brooklyn.

Indeed, and this is where just some miraculous things take place. There's a massive nor'easter that pelts both armies, and it keeps, I mean, the British lines keep, they use a siege tactic, which is popular today, and they keep advancing their trench line closer and closer to the fortifications. But there's massive amounts of rain coming down, pelting both armies together.

And it's here that the three chimneys, it's a mansion in Brooklyn Heights that Washington decides. He talks to his top officers and says, should we fight or should we flee? And he wisely decides that.

to to flee but it's it's not it's a very tough decision because a you know you you've got to cross a mile-long uh east river with the the british the royal navy right at your back potentially uh and and then you've got a massive juggernaut of

over 25,000 British and Hessian troops that are about to pounce on your position. And it all has to be done, you know, secretly. And it all has to be done with, you know, gathering hundreds of small boats. It's the American dunker. And it falls upon the shoulders largely of John Glover and the Marblehead Regiment, who I write about in The Indispensables. And they organized with only hours of time

one of the greatest evacuations in military history right under the noses of you know a massive royal navy in the east river as well as this massive juggernaut in front of them and here you know one of the great miracles

in American history and world history takes place, the providential fog comes at exactly the right time as dawn comes and the rays of dawn illuminate the East River and illuminate potentially the operation to evacuate the Americans that Glover is desperately trying to pull off. They go back almost a dozen times.

you know with these small boats to bring off the wounded to bring off the equipment and the men and dawn comes and the fog then screens the remaining boats as they they escape and bring off nearly everybody

a handful of boats and you got to do it all night and if you don't extract this entire army it's the the the war could be over right then and oh by the way the wind never favored the royal navy to go up the east river behind the defenses and they would have if it did they would have blown apart this small little fleet that john glover had that was bringing off

the uh the army the the nine thousand uh or plus men that were coming off uh you know at brooklyn it's an incredible story

What happens is they land about two weeks after the Battle of Brooklyn. The evacuation takes place on the night of December 30th, 29th, 30th. They escape to Manhattan. And then there's a lull where there's another round. Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. Not December 30th. No, not December 19th. You're getting off in Brooklyn in the...

i said september i believe i thought i thought i meant september september september the middle of september they land at murray hill in and around there and they attack manhattan and they uh the army disappears basically again and uh you know there's washington is horrified it's only the the marylanders what's left of them and the marblehead troops and some others that stand and fight but much of the army

is is uh it flees and they make their way towards the harlem heights where they have another defensive line and and there is one glimmer of hope at the battle of harlem heights where

elite british troops the um their light infantry moves out and it's here that uh american riflemen basically surprise these british troops in the battle of harlem heights is an american victory a small victory against these you know the umpires some of their best troops but after that it's just pretty much one defeat after another

And the British have a massive advantage in the fact that their fleet can land anywhere. And Washington has to defend the indefensible, which is Manhattan, which can be pretty much attacked from any point. And there's another amphibious landing.