Commemorate the Anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn This Week

It’s the 248th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn this month and, as is the tradition in the borough, there are a bevvy of events memorializing the Revolutionary War fight.

Battle Week, organized by Old Stone House, includes demonstrations, performances, and tours culminating in outdoor festivities at Green-Wood Cemetery, all meant to bring to life the dramatic events of 1776.

Background of the Battle

The Battle of Brooklyn (also called the Battle of Long Island) was fought on August 27, 1776, and is considered one of America’s greatest losses during our war for independence. The carnage all happened one summer night: The British, who had amassed a large number of troops on Staten Island, stealthily attacked George Washington and his Continental Army at their camp in Brooklyn. Washington was greatly outnumbered and realized the only way to save his army was to flee to Manhattan.

While the rest of the troops escaped Brooklyn Heights across the river, Washington sent 400 boys from Baltimore, known as the Maryland 400, on a suicide mission: to distract the British and buy the rest of the troops time. And so a great battle was fought near the present day site of the Old Stone House. (The one standing in Park Slope today is a 1933 re-creation of the original.)

All 400 boys — the entire 1st Maryland Regiment — were killed, but the Continental Army was able to escape, and later won the war.

This Year’s Events

You can find the full list of events, many of them free, at the Old Stone event page here. Below are a few highlights:

Battle of Brooklyn: A Farce of Two Acts
Friday, August 23 at 7 p.m.
Old Stone House, 336 3rd Street
Enjoy a free production of a short play originally written in 1776 by a British Loyalist.

Prison Ships Martyrs Memorial Ceremony
Saturday, August 24 at 10 a.m.
Fort Green Park
The annual commemoration ceremony is free of charge and is coordinated by the Society of Old Brooklynites, American Merchant Marine Association, and Navy Armed Guard.

Maryland 400 Remembrance Ceremony & Battle of Brooklyn Living History
Saturday, August 24, 12:30- 4 p.m.
Old Stone House, 336 3rd Street
Reenactor regiments will be on site and the afternoon will include live music and a scavenger hunt.

Battle of Brooklyn
Sunday, August 25, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Green-Wood Cemetery
The historic cemetery hosts a full day of family-friendly events including reenactors, hands-on activities, and a commemoration ceremony.

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