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The British occupied New York for seven years during the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1783. Despite signs prior to the official British invasion of New York, a British fleet advanced from western Long Island to Manhattan on August 22, 1776, stunning New Yorkers and overwhelming a new and somewhat inexperienced American army organized by George Washington.

The dueling sides in New York and during the war were the Tories – or British Loyalists – and the Whigs, who were the Patriots of America in support of the revolution and opposed to Great Britain’s presence in the colonies.

During the occupation, the British controlled what could and could not enter the state, displaced families and showed little regard for existing practices in New York. The occupation ended in 1983 after the Patriots won the revolution and left New York a melting pot of Loyalist refugees and Patriot returnees.

Signs of an Occupation
Before the British officially began their occupation, New Yorkers saw signs that a stand-off would soon begin in their state. The British abandoned Boston in early 1776, which indicated to New Yorkers “that their town was the next likely point of confrontation.”

Those New Yorkers were right. Effectually as a way to win the war, New York became a key target after the siege of Boston. As Henry P. Johnston outlined in The Campaign of 1776 Around New York and Brooklyn, British General William Howe’s appointment to “occupy New York City with the main body of the army” was key: “…If Massachusetts were once subdued there would be nothing to fear elsewhere.”

Then, the Asia, a British ship, sailed into a New York harbor. The British fired a cannon – a sure indication to New Yorkers that they should begin to exit the state. However, many poorer New Yorkers were forced to stay and anticipate the British occupation.

Military Preparations
After witnessing the upheaval in Boston too, John Adams told George Washington “secure New York City by rounding up the Tories in town before they could rise up and assist the British when they arrived.” In line with Adams and Washington, General Charles Lee goes to New York City to weed out the Tories.

The Committee to Detect Conspiracies then distributed 100 copies of 119 names of men, or Tories, “who were to be arrested or summoned to appear before the Committee.” Several of the men fled New York.

The British Invasion
On June 29, 1776, a British fleet arrived in New York Bay. Hundreds of ships began to appear over the next few days. By July, the gargantuan number of vessels overcame the state to both the awe and dismay of New Yorkers. As Judith Van Buskirk described it in Generous Enemies: Patriots and Loyalists in Revolutionary New York, “The effect of such a force, so beautiful and so deadly, was not lost on the Americans, who could not help taking in the fleet’s splendor and disastrous potential.” By the end of the summer, the well-off New Yorkers who had resisted fleeing upon seeing the initial signs of an occupation made their final exits.

Advancing Fleets
On August 22, 1776, the British fleet advanced from western Long Island to Manhattan. The division of the state began between the British and Washington’s Continentals, who controlled the mainland around the New York Bay islands where the British occupied Manhattan, Staten and western Long Island.

British Neighbors
The New Yorkers are taken aback by the mannerisms of the British soldiers, who, as Van Bursick wrote, were foreign to the populace:

“The new soldier in town was a stranger. He was well-dressed, had a superior attitude, and in some cases spoke a different language. With little to engage him on the military front, he was apt to seek out new pursuits, not always wholesome, with which to pass the time. Civilian disapproval of his rowdy behavior was of no concern to him. His community was the military family of regiment and so he cared little for the feelings of the defeated foreigners even if they did claim allegiance to King and Parliament.”

Loyalist Betrayal
The British army got a lot of its information leading up to the Battle of Long Island from the Loyalists. In turn, the Loyalists were greatly disliked by the Patriots, who they had once lived peacefully next to as neighbors. Johnston summed up the two sides’ reaction to the onset of the occupation:

“Among the inhabitants along the coast, confusion, excitement, and distress prevailed, and many moved off their goods in great haste to find refuge in the American lines or farther east on the island; while others remained to welcome the enemy, for whose success they had been secretly praying form the outset.”

George Washington and his Patriot Troops
During the time before the British officially invaded New York, the army was not fully stocked with manpower. The force that occupied New York with Washington enlisted on yearlong terms starting January 1, 1776. Because of the Boston evacuation, 21 soldiers joined the Patriots in New York. A total of 27 battalions – or 640 men – made up the army.

Washington initially had some apprehensions about his troops. In a letter to Congress, Washington wrote:

“We are now encamped with the main body of the army on the Heights of Harlem, where I should hope the enemy would meet with a defeat in case of an attack, if the generality of our troops would behave with tolerable bravery. But experience, to my extreme affliction, has convinced me that this is rather to be wished than expected. However, I trust that there are many who will act like men, and show themselves worth of the blessings of freedom.”

The Effects of British Control
Once in power, the British placed price controls on wood, wheat and flour. They rationed flour and regulated what could and could not be transported. Prior to the country’s capitalist society, “British authorities again put a stop on the free flow of supply and demand by imposing carting rates and specifying prices down to the hogshead of sugar and pipe of wine.”

The British army also moved New York residents from place to place around the state, separating families. Red-light districts prevailed. Meanwhile, captured American officers were allowed the liberty of the city or, if quartered on Long Island, the liberty of a certain zone. Captured British officers enjoyed the same liberties in American-held territory. The officer class had formulated a set of rules that muted war’s deadening blows, extending privileges to one another that made the conflict reminiscent of a fight among friends.

Refugees
New York also became a haven for British refugees – or Tories. As Van Buskirk wrote, "The flow of refugees to the occupied islands continued throughout the war, with surges of new Tories arriving whenever the British army withdrew its protection from an area," such as Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Virginia and South Carolina.”

The refugees put on several hats and made up for some of the lost New York economy since true New Yorkers had fled the state for protection. Some refugees volunteered for the British army. Others opened their own businesses, as many New Yorkers left their abandoned shops, bars and restaurants, leaving them vacant.

Post-Peace Treaty
After the Americans won the Revolution, New York was split. While the armies weren’t necessarily friendly with each other, the people on either side began to appreciate the others. Over the years of British occupation, neighbors ¬– whether Patriots or Loyalists – became friendly.

The friendliness did not guarantee a smooth transition after the war ended. Van Buskirk described the situation: “Tensions in town rose as large numbers of Whig refugees met Loyalist refugees for the first time in several years. The returning Americans demanded seven years’ back rent, payments for missing furniture, money for repairs on their property, and payment of longstanding debts.”

When the British finally left, former Loyalists were advised by close friends and family to remain low-key to protect their livelihoods, but eventually things returned to normal:

“Many Americans directed what energies they had to the wider horizons of opportunity provided by the British withdrawal from American affairs. Unregulated trade to the east and an enormous landmass to the west fired the imaginations of robust entrepreneurs and hopeful army veterans. With other activities taking first priority, many American citizens were not prepared to make a major issue of the Loyalist presence in their midst.”