On this day 250 years ago on Long Island (in the present-day Brooklyn), New York, the Americans were defeated in the largest battle of the Revolution in terms of the number of men engaged. The Battle of Brooklyn or Long Island was a disaster for the Americans. Gen. Washington underestimated the number of British and German troops that Gen. Howe had landed on Long Island and did not understand the British outnumbered the 10,000 American troops on Long Island more than two-to-one. The British flanking movement completely surprised the 3500 Americans defending the passes on Gowanus Heights and that most of the Americans were able to escape across Gowanus Creek to the American fortifications on Brooklyn Heights was due to luck and a heroic counterattack by Gen. Stirling (William Alexander) and the celebrated “Maryland 400.” The official British count of 1178 American officers and soldiers captured seems credible. The 89 officers captured included the American commander on the battlefield, Gen. John Sullivan and Gen. Stirling, along with Col. Samuel Miles, Col. Samuel Atlee, Lt. Col. Nicholas Lotz (an immigrant from Germany), and Maj. Edward Burd. However, the number of Americans killed and wounded is the subject of debate. Washington estimated that the total American loss of killed, wounded and captured was only 800, an obvious understatement, but Howe’s estimate of 3300 American casualties seems wildly exaggerated. Realistic estimates are that between 200 and 320 Americans were killed or wounded on that day.

As mentioned, the counts of Americans killed in the Battle of Brooklyn vary widely. In fact, it is hard to compile a list of any Americans killed in the battle. New Jersey Militia Col. Philip Johnston was mortally wounded and may have died on the day of the battle as a British captive. Lt. Col. Caleb Parry of Pennsylvania and Capt. Edward Veazey and Sgt. William Sands of Maryland were killed in the battle. Sgt. Joseph Elliott and Sgt. Thomas Dwyer of the 1st Maryland Regiment both died in service in 1776; one of them died in April 1776 and the other sergeant apparently was killed in the battle or died in captivity afterwards. Maryland has compiled biographies of all the men who served in the 1st Maryland Regiment, but unfortunately one must open each biography to determine if the soldier died in service or survived the War. Hopefully someone has read all of these bios and has compiled a list of the Maryland men who were likely killed at the Battle of Brooklyn. I hope someone will undertake that task so we can honor these men for their heroic sacrifice. https://msamaryland400.com/biographies/

In contrast, the British casualty figures are clear. The British and Hessians combined had 66 men killed and 293 wounded. The Americans somehow managed to capture 30 British soldiers despite their complete defeat in the battle. The reliable casualty figures indicate that the Americans fought well and inflicted more damage on the British than they were taking until finally overwhelmed by the superior British numbers.

Sources: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-battle-of-long-island-brooklyn-6wkcol/; Schecter at 141-54; Boatner III, Mark M., Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books (1994) at 647-56; https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/brooklyn; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Long_Island; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Johnston_(New_Jersey_soldier); https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/KZKJ-5JY/lt.col.-caleb-parry-1734-1776; https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/017500/017581/html/17581bio.html;

Tomorrow August 28, 2026 and through the end of this year, the Center for Brooklyn History and Prospect Park will host special exhibits and tours on the Battle of Brooklyn.

https://www.prospectpark.org/americas-250th-anniversary; https://www.bklynlibrary.org/exhibitions/battle-brooklyn-fought; https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/exhibition-tour-battle-center-for-brooklyn-20260828-0300pm