Heroes of Long Island

After the evacuation of the British from Boston, Washington moved his Continental Army southwest to confront the British and Hessian troops in New York. Washington's force occupied New York City and moved to stop the British advance toward the city in Western Long Island. On Aug. 27, 1776, a British position had been set up in and near a stone house in what is now the Park Slope part of Brooklyn where 400 outnumbered Maryland troops of Washington's army repeatedly attacked to stop the British and push them back from that location. Near the high point of Park Slope the British reformed and counterattacked, but the 400 Maryland soldiers continued to fight and slowed the British advance.

Washington watched the pitched battle and commented, "Great God, what brave fellows I must this day lose." Washington, in honor of their bravery, would call the Maryland 1st Infantry "The Bayonet of the Revolution." The battle had given Washington time to organize his troops for evacuation, while the tenacity of the Marylanders in battle caused Sir William Howe, the British commander, to order his troops to halt their attacks rather than fight after sunset. That pause allowed Washington to save his army from annihilation.

In what is one of the greatest tactical moves in U.S. military history, Washington managed to have his entire force of 9,000 troops, horses and cannon evacuated across New York harbor to Manhattan by flatboats. Washington was the last to leave, and at dawn the British force attacked only to find the patriot's positions empty.

Legend has it that the 256 survivors of the Maryland 400 were bayoneted and buried by the Hessians in an unmarked common grave. The location of that mass grave of American soldiers is unknown.

Many preservationists believe the grave may be located under an abandoned concrete parking lot in Brooklyn. They wish to have an archaeological dig conducted on the lot before any construction takes place. If the remains of the 256 can be found, they could be moved to a place of honor befitting these American heroes.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.