*waiting with wide eyes and kind of heavily breathing*
Since it’s July, welcome to my one allotted time of year to mount my Revolutionary War soapbox. Originally, I was going to have a few Manhattans and pen a novella about how many of our compatriots have a lack of appreciation for the sacrifices made by our founding fathers in the late 1700’s. My dad and I already did that a year or two ago when we joint-reviewed one of my favorite American History books, 1794. So instead of a diatribe, we’ll tie some cool Revolutionary War events to specific neighborhoods so you can reflect the next time you’re there and pour one out to our forefathers who gave everything so we could live in the great nation we do now. It could be worse – we forget that I went and saw George Washington’s dentures in a museum.
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66th Street and 3rd Avenue – Upper East Side
On September 22, 1776, the 21-year-old Yale graduate and Revolutionary War Solider, Nathan Hale, was hung on this corner by the British for committing espionage. In this spot, he eloquently spoke the famous phrase, “I only regret, that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
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Landing at Kip’s Bay –Kips Bay
On September 15, 1776, five British warships with 9,000 men sailed into the East River and anchored at what would today be between East 32nd and East 38th streets. American militia had been guarding Kip’s Bay from the British navy, but fled with the Redcoats’ heavy advance fire, ceding control of the lower Manhattan.
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St Paul’s Chapel – 209 Broadway in the Financial District
During the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton drilled troops in its churchyard. George Washington worshiped here regularly, including on his inauguration day
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Fraunces Tavern Museum – 54 Pearl St in the Financial District
This is the tavern where George Washington bid farewell to his troops at the end of the Revolutionary War. And apparently those guys knew how to party
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The Old Stone House – 336 Third St in Park Slope
This reconstruction museum sits in Park Slope’s Washington Park, where part of the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn was waged. Every August the battle is reenacted in Brooklyn, usually at the Old Stone House
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Fort Tryon Park – Washington Heights
This park was the site of the Battle of Fort Washington in 1776, one of the worst American defeats in the war, where 8,000 British troops overwhelmed more than 2,800 American soldiers. Every November, Fort Tryon Park marks the anniversary of the Battle of Fort Washington with full blown reenactments
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Wallabout Way – Brooklyn Navy Yards
This small harbor standing off of the Brooklyn Navy Yards is regarded as the site of the war’s “greatest suffering in the cause of American liberty“. During the British occupation of New York, prison ships were docked in the bay with men packed inside, leaving them susceptible to freezing conditions, starvation, and disease. Freedom was granted to any prisoner who would pledge loyalty to the king, but few did. In Fort Greene Park, a monument honors those who passed.
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Bowling Green Park – Financial District
Established in 1773, Bowling Green is the oldest park in NYC and is surrounded by the original iron fence erected in the 1760s. After hearing the Declaration of Independence, a crowd made its way down Broadway, tore down the statue of King George III from the center of the park, cut it into pieces and melted them into bullets to be used by the Continental army. The ornaments from the top of the fence were also cut off and melted, which can be seen in it’s irregular shape today.
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For deeper (and excellent) reading, definitely see this piece from the New York Times, When New York City was a (Literal) Battlefield.