1776: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

Washington’s troops march through Massachusetts toward New York. By early April, they have reached Rhode Island, where Washington is greeted as a hero. The troops sense that they’re heading toward danger, though nobody is sure where the British forces have gone. Even so, the troops remain in high spirits after their victory in Boston.

George Washington knows that he’ll face challenges in New York unlike any he faced in Boston. In New York, the British will be able to attack by sea from almost any direction, and many New Yorkers are loyal to England, raising the possibility that locals will betray his troops. However, Washington understands the strategic and political importance of defending New York: if the British capture the city, it’ll be a huge blow to American morale.

At the time, New York is a divided city: the Loyalists and American factions are both prominent. When he arrives in New York, Washington recruits five divisions of soldiers. However, he worries about the population in Long Island, which is overwhelmingly loyal to George III. There are also British warships in the Upper Bay near New York City, a constant reminder of the impending threat of invasion.

Washington also recognizes that his soldiers from Boston are tired and worn-out from marching and fighting. He’s recruited new troops during the march to New York, but these troops are just as disorganized as his original soldiers. Many of the soldiers from New York also dislike that Washington has recruited black soldiers.

Washington and his army arrive in New York on April 13 and immediately take residence at the Kennedy Mansion, a famous New York building of the era, named after a Scottish land speculator named Archibald Kennedy. In the coming weeks, Washington inspects the city’s fortifications, which were designed by Charles Lee and built under the guidance of General William Alexander, better known as Lord Stirling. Stirling is a wealthy, powerful man, supposedly descended from a Scottish lord.

New York City only has a population of 20,000, but it’s one of the wealthiest American cities at the time. Many of the troops, including Henry Knox, are impressed with the residents’ luxurious lives. Other soldiers praise the beautiful buildings and statues but disdain the brothels.

On April 22, not long after the troops arrive, the dead bodies of two American soldiers are discovered in a brothel. Furious over the deaths, a group of soldiers tears down the brothel and starts a riot. Washington condemns his soldiers’ behavior and enforces a strict evening curfew. Later on, a smallpox epidemic breaks out, killing many. Washington proceeds with training his new troops and building new fortifications for the city.

General Charles Lee has told Washington that the troops will need to be ready to defend New York from a naval invasion. He recommends that cannons be installed overlooking the East River, much as Washington installed cannons in Dorchester Heights. Washington complies, and also begins fortifying Long Island.

The troops set to work fortifying New York. They install guns and cannons on Governor’s Island, and overlooking the Hudson River. Toward the northern end of Manhattan, at the highest point on the island, the Americans build Fort Washington. On a small island on the Hudson, they build a second fort, Fort Constitution. As the months drag on, Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox become good friends, and both men’s wives join them in New York. On May 16, Knox sends a letter encouraging the Continental Congress to declare independence from Britain.

On May 18, Washington receives word that British ships are preparing to invade New York. The message turns out to be a false alarm, but even so the American troops feel it confirms their sense that the British will arrive soon. Washington feels ready for the fight. He has thousands of men ready for battle, and enough artillery to fire on British ships.

Suddenly, it’s discovered that a group of Loyalists in New York are conspiring to assassinate George Washington. American troops take to the streets to attack everyone suspected of being a Loyalist, and Washington moves to a new residence. The Loyalist plotters are found and brought to trial, but only one of them is sentenced to death. This man, Thomas Hickey, is publicly hanged on June 28, to thunderous applause. Later that day, Washington learns that the British are sailing to New York from Halifax. On June 29, American troops spot British ships on the horizon, and by July 2, the ships have docked near Staten Island.

On the same day that the ships land on Staten Island, the Continental Congress votes in favor of declaring independence from Britain. The news reaches New York on July 6, to much celebration. The soldiers sense that the war has “entered an entirely new stage.” Washington and the members of the Continental Congress are now officially treasonous, meaning that they’ll be sentenced to death if the British capture them. The Declaration of Independence is a high-minded, rhetorically masterful document, but it’s “of little consequence, of course … without a military success against the most formidable force on earth.” Yet the Declaration has an impact on the soldiers: they’re now fighting an all-out war for independence.

Even with the British nearby, spirits are high among the American troops. But on July 12, the Americans get a reminder of their weakness. Two British ships sail up the Hudson, past New York, and Washington orders his troops to fire their cannons. The British ships fire back, causing mass panic. The American cannons don’t seem to be doing any damage to the British ships. By the end of the day, the British have sailed all the way up the Hudson. Washington is furious. The British have proven that they can send ships north at any time, meaning that they could halt Washington’s retreat from New York.

On the British side, morale has never been higher. The British troops are well-fed and confident that they can defeat Washington’s forces. The British want revenge for the defeat in Boston, and they ridicule the Declaration of Independence. British generals’ strategy is quick, decisive military action in New York. Their greatest fear is that the Americans will continue to use a defensive strategy rather than fighting the British army head-on.

On July 14, General William Howe sends a British soldier, waving a truce flag, to deliver a letter to George Washington. At first, Washington’s troops won’t accept the letter, since Howe has addressed it to “Mr. Washington” (an insult). It’s only when a higher-ranking British officer, Captain James Paterson, re-addresses the letter to “George Washington, Esq., etc., etc.” that Washington agrees to a meeting.

Washington meets with Captain James Paterson, who offers Washington the letter—though Washington again refuses to read it, since he finds the “etc., etc.” in the address insulting. Paterson explains that George III is offering pardons to Washington and his peers. Washington replies, “Those who have committed no fault want no pardon.” It’s likely that Washington knew that Paterson was going to make peace offerings. The reason he agreed to see Paterson was to prove, both to the British and to his own men, that he could “go through the motions quite as well as any officer and gentleman, but more importantly to send a message to the British command absent any ambiguity.”

British ships continue to arrive in New York all throughout the summer of 1776. By August, over a hundred vessels have landed on Staten Island. Thousands of British troops, along with German Hessians, are prepared for a fight.

The Americans are fairly optimistic about the upcoming fight, and new American troops arrive in New York every day. However, many soldiers also attempt to desert the army, since 1776 is a bumper year for crops, meaning that it’s more lucrative for many working-class people to continue laboring on farms than to fight in the army. Other soldiers desert in order to avoid the “camp fever” in New York.

Washington tries to predict how the British will most likely attack his troops in New York. He’s worried that the British will attempt to invade Long Island. Breaking a basic rule of military strategy, he divides his army into two halves, and sends one half out to Long Island to protect it. Washington’s forces are becoming restless and impatient. In the past four months they’ve done a spectacular job of fortifying New York, but now they’re eager for battle.

Nathanael Greene becomes dangerously ill, and Washington is forced to relieve his favorite general of his duty as a commander. In Greene’s place, Washington appoints John Sullivan, who is seen as a vastly inferior commander. It’s now late August. An American commander in New Jersey sends word to Washington that the British are preparing to attack from Long Island and the Hudson. Washington receives the letter but replies simply, “We have made no discovery of any movement here of any consequence.”