Washington’s Retreat | Part 5 of 5: When the British Ruled Brooklyn

Part 1: The Patriot Who Called Brooklyn Home

Part 2: The Fort Built to Save New York

Part 3: The View From Cobble Hill

Part 4: The Decision at Four Chimneys

With the American Army out of Brooklyn, we now begin the British occupation of New York and the surrounding area. The British would control Brooklyn for the remainder of the war, and by 1780 they were strengthening their defenses around New York Harbor. One of the largest additions would be a new fortification here in Brooklyn known simply as Brooklyn Fort.

Today, a courthouse stands on the site, which I actually think helps give you a sense of the scale we're talking about. This wasn't a small earthwork with a couple of cannons. Brooklyn Fort was a massive, roughly square fortification, stretching about 400 feet along each side and constructed primarily of earth and stone.

And unlike Half-Moon Fort, this one probably looked a lot more like the type of fort you picture in your imagination: high walls, heavy defenses, artillery, and a commanding position over the surrounding countryside.

That position was one of the reasons the British chose this location. The fort stood on a rise known as Clover Hill, one of the highest points in the area. Remember, Brooklyn at this point looked nothing like it does today. There were no apartment buildings or office towers blocking your view. From up here, British troops would have had a commanding view of the roads approaching Brooklyn and the East River beyond.

The British weren't necessarily building this fort because they expected Washington to attack Brooklyn the next morning. By 1780, New York had become the British military headquarters in North America. Thousands of British and Hessian troops were stationed in and around the city, along with enormous quantities of supplies. Protecting New York was essential, and Brooklyn Fort became part of the defensive network surrounding that British stronghold.

What's interesting is that the fort actually outlived the Revolution.

The war effectively came to an end with the American victory at Yorktown in 1781, and the British finally evacuated New York on November 25, 1783. But Brooklyn Fort remained standing for decades afterward.

And it wasn't necessarily because Brooklyn wanted to preserve a piece of Revolutionary War history.

As Brooklyn began transforming from a rural community into a growing city, the old fort became an obstacle. Local residents began removing portions of it, only to be told to stop because the fort stood on land controlled by the federal government.

Eventually, as streets were laid out and this part of Brooklyn was developed, the old fortifications disappeared. By the 1820s, Brooklyn Fort was gone and Clover Hill itself would gradually be reshaped as the city grew around it.

Today, there isn't much here that tells you a massive British fort once dominated this hill. But when you look at the courthouse occupying the site, you can at least get a sense of the footprint.

The End of Washington's Retreat

The Battle of Brooklyn had been a devastating defeat. Hundreds of American soldiers had been killed, wounded, or captured, and the British had taken control of Brooklyn. New York would soon fall as well.

But Washington had saved something far more important: his army.

Under the cover of darkness, thousands of American soldiers escaped across the East River to Manhattan, slipping away before the British could deliver what might have been a crushing final blow. The war would continue for another seven years, and Washington would suffer more defeats along the way. But his army survived long enough to keep fighting.

Today, almost nothing remains of the Brooklyn Washington knew in August 1776. The forts are gone. The hills have been leveled. The shoreline has been reshaped, and streets and buildings now cover much of the ground where these events unfolded. But the story is still here.

Over the past five days, we’ve followed it through the streets of modern-day Brooklyn Heights: from Philip Livingston’s country estate and the American defenses overlooking the East River, to Washington’s headquarters and the ground the British would occupy after his army was gone.

The Americans didn’t win the Battle of Brooklyn. They survived it.

And sometimes, surviving long enough to fight another day can change history. Thank you for joining me for Washington’s Retreat.

Read the full Washington’s Retreat Series here!