Triumph on Battle Hill Historical Marker
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
This stop along the Revolutionary War Heritage Trail can be found inside Green-Wood Cemetery and marks a spot where Americans enjoyed some brief success over the British during the Battle of Brooklyn, the first major battle of the American Revolution. Despite this temporary success, Washington's rebel force of about ten thousand men were pushed out of the city by 20,000 British troops under the command of William Howe. Although Washington was forced to abandon the city, the British failed to capture the rebel army or its commander. Each year, Green-Wood Cemetery hosts reenactments and other historical celebrations of the battle and life during the American Revolution, complete with trolley tours, parades, demonstrations, and display of historical artifacts.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The failure to hold the largest city and most important port in the American colonies may have been a decisive blow to the morale of the American rebels after their successful siege of British troops in Boston, but the British commander's decision to move slowly and occupy the city rather than pursue Washington's army allowed the rebels to retreat into New Jersey and Pennsylvania where they would continue to train and recruit.