Remembering the shots heard round the borough%u2026
Battle Week, the yearly commemoration of an historic Revolutionary War skirmish which took place right in the streets of Brooklyn, once again stirred the imaginations of both young and old with tours, commemorations and re-enactments.
The series of entertaining and educational events opened with a ceremony at the Old Stone House to remember the sacrifices of the Maryland 400, a brave regiment of freedom fighters who met their end at what is now Washington Park on Fifth Avenue and Fifth Street. Their last stand was at the Old Stone House, which is still there to this day.
Other events included historic walking tours of Evergreen and Green-Wood Cemeteries, a canoe tour of the Gowanus Canal (believed to be an escape route of fleeing American rebels), a tribute to George Washington’s Irish generals and a re-enactment of the famous Battle of Brooklyn.
Nearby historians also noted the deaths of the 11,000 men and boys who perished under the horrid conditions in British prison ships that were docked in what is now the Brooklyn Navy Yard by visiting the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park.
—Tom Tracy
