It's amazing how many times Washington was arguably saved by Howe's reluctance in this campaign. He did take advantage of it, though and keep his ragtag army alive.
Absolutely right. It's fascinating how close the war came to ending before it truly started. Washington's going to really excel in the next episode too, with the Ten Crucial Days!
It's thru out the whole war how lucky Washington was. Lost more campaigns than he won. He just happened to win the right battles. Not to discount how it the global conflict effected the war for America
@@andrewsytaccount Why come up with a way to discuss all the crap when the videos already exist its not like teachers get paid 100 dollars an hour to make up each lesson from scratch
Washington was there to fight, peace... that was down to congress. Howe's role as peace commisioner and being sympathetic to the Americans stopped him from striking the killing blow. A balanced and well produced presentation.
It was still 5 more men than what was guarding the secret goat passage at ancient Thermopylae... All throughout history generals have made dumb decisions... 5 militiamen were sent becaus ethe passage was relatively unused and I guess they thought the British would never learn about it unless a scout stumbles upon it... Still baffles me... Why bother sending men if you're only going to send 5?
There was no possible way for Washington to successfully defend NY from the British, if you’d sent more men to Jamaica pass it wouldn’t have changed that It would’ve (probably) alerted you much quicker though, to the British flanking maneuver, but really the defense of Brooklyn and NYC was doomed from the start
Perhaps Howe held back because he thought this would help him accomplish his true goal of bringing back the colonists into the British fold. This was effectively a civil war between British subjects and his goal was not to kill as many colonials as possible but rather to reconcile them to rule by their benevolent monarch.
Great stuff… Keep it up! A perfect and simple description of a battle that most Americans know nothing about. It was sheer luck that the Continental army was not overrun. Washington was no Napoleon or Caesar but upcoming you will no doubt show his boldest and most successful campaign of the war. Thought by his subordinates to be suicidal, and I can’t deny that at the time I wouldn’t have been in their camp.
@@alitlweird I mean hard to say… I’m gonna say at least 90% don’t even know it occurred but that could also be very wrong because a lot of people are born in NYC and I’m sure they talk about it more because it happened there… I mean hey if everyone knew about history it’s would make us history buff and scholars not unique… I love history and take a sense of pride in the amount I have studied. Even so I know so little.
This channel 100% needs to be promoted by the algorithm. This is one of the highest quality series on the American revolution I’ve found so far. I thoroughly enjoyed this video and also the video about the battles of Lexington and Concord.
This is an excellent video, I was born in the middle of this battlefield in Brooklyn and went to school down the block from Prospect Park where Sullivan was captured. I literally knew nothing about this battle until I saw Hamilton! I guess they didn't want to tell us about it because the American's lost but it would have made a good field trip if they'd actually explained why there was a monument on Monument Hill in the park! I assume it was for Sullivan!
Awesome work! Thanks for all the fantastic detail you put into these. I was never taught in school how many loyalists, defectors, and escaped slaves went over to the British side. I was never told villages and cities celebrated liberation by the British. Something not talked about in American education is the division between the Revolutionaries, and the loyalists. Cant wait for me. Keep it up!
@@Dan-jp8jr History was my favorite class. I paid attention astutely. They did not teach this. You are wrong. It is rude to make assumptions of other people
Just sitting here trying to wrap my mind around how the war would have played out if Washington had burned NYC and denied it as a base to the British. Thaks for another great episode. I look forward to the next, as always.
Well done,Sir. Well done indeed. I think it's quite ironic that a British creator has done such a magnificent job showing the American War for Independence. Bloody outstanding! I've watched each of the vids in order and I'm gobsmacked how well they are done. I can't wait for more. Cheers from Tennessee
Excellent video! I appreciated the effective use of the map and your narration skills are very impressive. I never knew that Howe had made so many blunders or that Washington had retreated so far north before heading south towards New Jersey.
I’m so glad I found your channel I’ve always wanted to study the war in detail but no other channel had done so in anyway meaningful way up to this point! But now I need to find some on the civil war it has the same problem sadly
@@HistoryRebelsHave you ever watched that series, Turn: Washington's Spies? You may like that. I just finished reading books about the Battle of Bunker Hill and Yorktown.
Great job in mentioning in mentioning William Alexander the Lord Stirling who doesn’t get talked enough in the revolutionary war. Also it’s hilarious he was so mad that the British didn’t accept his claim that he refused to surrender to them and only surrendered to the hessians
Interesting fact about how the population divided during the war. It was about even. With about 1/3 for it, about 1/3 against it, and about 1/3 neutral. And thanks again for making this wonderful series.
NY may have been the place where Washington learned the hard lessons on how to command and who to trust. Sometimes a defeat is where the seeds of victory are planted.
Thank you very much for your interest in the American Revolutionary War and this awesome program. I can not wait until your next few, my favorites, Trenton and Princeton. Additionally, The was from the Battle of White Plains and from a story that the Headless Horseman was born.
Good video. Succinct, dynamic, clear. A small point about Harlem Heights: the soldiers in trouble were an over confident picket of Light Infantry who pursued an American patrol out of range of their supports. The Highlanders (in that wildly inaccurate C19th print) were part of the force sent to cover their retreat, suffering the heaviest casualties in the process.
Kudos to you for this amazing video, haven’t seen a series on the revolution this good… well, ever. If anyone in the comments is interested in some more info on this battle, the book “Memoirs of the Long Island Historical Society, Volume 3” has very good primary sources and general information on this battle. I think it’s on internet archive.
Well done . I have read all about this but the animated maps really help Balanced perspective as well and great narration. As soon as I can remember my password I will donate!
Again I absolutely love the videos good sir. I've read numerous books regarding the Revolution but I'm more of a visual learner so this helps enhance my knowledge tenfold. Can't wait for some of the later battles in the war.
Yeah that's a great point, I did want to have it oriented north-south, but that would of meant having to draw a much wider/larger map (because of the 1920x1080 screen). So it was just a practical reason in the end sadly
My 4 great grandfather, David Baxter, was a Sargent in the King’s Royal Regiment of New York. He received Crown land in Bertie township for his loyalty to the crown.
My 5th great grandfather is Captain Abraham Remsen. He and his brothers fought in this battle. I have a musket that’s been passed down through my family and etched in it is written 1776. Always wondered if maybe it was his. His black powder horn exists if you google it so would be cool if the musket I had was used by him. I’ll never know unfortunately
It is quite interesting that Washington and Greene both broke the rule of war not to divide one's force when facing a numerically superior foe. Yet, through some great ingenuity, strategic insight, and plain luck, Greene and his chief lieutenants Morgan and Huger were able to pull off two of the American Revolution's great masterstrokes with the Battle of Cowpens and the Race to the Dan. Furthermore, the terrain differences between the islands of New York City and the Carolinas arguably contributed to the defeat of Washington's army and the victory of Greene's, respectively.
