It’s Battle Week, Brooklyn’s annual excursion into the collective American consciousness, enticing history buffs and the merely curious to explore the modern borough with an eye to times long gone.
From August 14th through August 27th, annual Battle Week ceremonies and reenactments will be held in locations as diverse as the rolling hills of Green Wood Cemetery and the park surrounding the modest house outside whose stone walls occurred the first skirmish of the Battle of Brooklyn.
The purpose of the entire commemoration is to recall a watershed moment in the colonists’ struggle for independence, when the opposing forces faced each other at the western end of Long Island on August 27, 1776, a little more than a month after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
For, it was in the marshes and woods of Brooklyn that the colonists made a stand that, the enthusiasts say, enabled the forces of the Continental Army to survive to fight another day, as George Washington and his men scrambled away from the British troops, making their way eventually to Manhattan and safety.
The battle was bloody. By the time it had ended, as many as 1,000 colonial soldiers and 400 British troops had paid the ultimate price for their efforts, which resulted – that day at least – in a British victory.
Nonetheless, the rolling hills of Green-Wood Cemetery and Prospect Park were arrayed on the side of the revolutionary forces; the terrain was ideal for the sort of guerrilla fighting that the patchwork Continental Army engaged in as they faced the well-trained, splendidly uniformed members of King George III’s military, reinforced by the German mercenary soldiers known as Hessians.
Indeed, nowhere was the contrast more pronounced,, than during the Battle of Brooklyn.
But, the battle’s claim to fame goes beyond that. It was the first major engagement in which the Continental Army participated and it gave evidence of their valor, perhaps most memorably in an engagement that is commemorated at the Old Stone House in Park Slope.
In the vicinity of that abode, then known as the Vechte House, troops from Maryland and Delaware – renowned today as the Maryland 400 — fought to the death to defend their fellow soldiers from the assault of the British forces.
Over 400 American troops died in that single encounter, but their bravery and sacrifice enabled the forces led by George Washington, waiting in the northern end of Brooklyn, to escape over the East River to Manhattan.
Fittingly, the Battle Week events commence at the Old Stone House, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 14th, with a performance of Opera on Tap, a musical tribute to Walt Whitman, 19th century poet extraordinaire, Brooklyn resident and advocate for the monument to the thousands of anonymous soldiers who perished on the prison ships in Wallabout Bay during the Revolution that was subsequently erected in Fort Greene Park.
The focus of the piece, said Old Stone House Director Kim Maier, is a section within Whitman’s seminal Leaves of Grass, known as the “Centenarian’s Story” that retells the stirring tale of the Maryland 400.
“That was the going out of the brigade of the youngest men, two thousand strong,” wrote the poet. “Few return'd, nearly all remain in Brooklyn.”
The free performance, which is sponsored by the Old Stone House and the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, and which is part of the conservancy’s Prison Ship Martyrs Memorial Centennial Celebration, will be held outside the Old Stone House, in J.J. Byrne Park, Third Street at Fifth Avenue. For further information, call 718-768-3195 or log onto www. theoldstonehouse.org.
The dramatic piece is just one of a number of events that is somewhat different from what has been done in the past, said Maier.
“We tried to mix it up a little bit,” she stressed. While, Maier noted, Battle of Brooklyn stalwarts expect the usual reenactments and memorials, having other sorts of events appeals “to a broader audience who like us to do different things as well. We like to be able to provide a good mix.”
Part of that “good mix” can be enjoyed the following day, Friday, August 15th, at 12:30 p.m. when the scene shifts to lower Manhattan, where the Declaration of Independence will be read out loud on the front steps of Federal Hall, 26 Wall Street. For further information, call 212-825-6888.
On Saturday, August 16th, the annual Maryland 400 Remembrance Ceremony will be held. This free event, which is sponsored by the Brooklyn Irish American Parade Committee and the Michael A. Rawley, Jr. American Legion Post No. 1636, commences at the post, Eighth Street and Third Avenue in Brooklyn, at 10 a.m.
There, participants will engage in the traditional Maryland Roll Call of Honor ceremony, which will take place in the post’s yard. Then, there will be a memorial march to the Old Stone House, where there will be a reception and open house beginning at noon, in the gallery. For further information, call 718-768-3195.
Also on the 16th, beginning at 4 p.m., there will be a two-hour cruise on the Manhattan, a 1920’s style motor yacht. The highlight of the cruise, which sails past many sites connected to the Battle of Brooklyn, will be a lecture by Barnet Schecter, the author of The Battle for New York.
The cruise sails from Manhattan’s Chelsea Pier, and costs $65 per person, including the cruise, the lecture, one free drink and hors d’oeuvres. For tickets, log onto www.zerve. com/SailNYC/BattleBK or call 212-627-1825.
Also on Saturday, August 16th, there will be a free performance of Pinataland’s Songs for the Forgotten Future at the Old Stone House. The concert, which the Battle Week brochure describes as being “inspired by the shadowy events of the past 200 years,” will be held either outdoors or indoors at the Old Stone House at 7 p.m.
The following day, Sunday, August 17th, there will be a free walking tour of the Evergreen Cemetery, focusing on the Revolutionary War sites within. The tour lasts approximately two hours, and leaves from the main gate, Bushwick Avenue and Conway Street.
Among the highlights of the tour will be the path that was taken by British soldiers as they tried to cut in front of the Continental army to head them off. The American forces, however, were not where their opponents expected them to be, with the result that the battle erupted across Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-455-5300.
Then, on Tuesday, August 19th, at 12:30 p.m. will be the first of two lectures at Manhattan’s Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl Street. This lecture, given by National Park Service Ranger Michael Callahan, focuses on “The Kings Men: The British Army Fights the Battle of Brooklyn.” The talk is free with museum admission ($4 per adult/$3 per student or senior citizen; free to members).
The second Fraunces Tavern lecture will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 21st. This lecture, given by William Parry, is on the subject of “The Strange Case of ‘Baron’ Herman Zedwitz: Genius, Traitor or Madman?” The cost of the lecture is $6, free to members, and includes refreshments and museum admission. Parry is an archaeology professor at Hunter College and a member of the Old Stone House board.
For further information on either lecture, call 212-425-1778 or log onto www. frauncestavern.org.
Also on Thursday, August 21st, the Gowanus Dredgers will be offering paddles along the Gowanus Canal to people who want a different view of sites related to the Battle of Brooklyn.
The event, which will run from 6 to 8 p.m., is an opportunity for, ‘The public to experience the waterways that George Washington crossed during the battle,” said the Dredgers’ Owen Foote, who explained that while participants enjoy “self-guided paddles,” on shore, “a self-proclaimed historian will be informing people of the significance of the waterway during the battle.”
Participants should meet at the end of Second Street, just past Bond Street. The event will be cancelled in the event of rain at 5:30 p.m. While participation is free, said Foote, “donations are encouraged.” For further information, log onto www. gowanuscanal.org or call 718-243-0849.
There will be another opportunity to view various locations associated with the battle, during the annual Battle of Brooklyn Neighborhood Walk, led by Parry. The walk kicks off under the arch at Grand Army Plaza. The cost is $12 per person ($10 per person for Old Stone House members), and includes light refreshments.
For information on the walk, or to make reservations, call 718-768-3195 or log onto www. theoldstonehouse.org.
On Saturday, August 23rd, beginning at 10 a.m. sharp, there will be the annual Prison Ships Martyrs Memorial Ceremony, held in the shadow of the monument in Fort Greene Park.
The event, which is a collaboration of the Society of Old Brooklynites, the American Merchant Marine Association and the Navy Armed Guard, will mark the 100th anniversary of the Stanford White-designed monument, which was dedicated on November 14, 1908 by William Howard Taft, then president-elect of the United States.
The monument commemorates the 11,500 individuals who are interred in a crypt underneath. Residents living near Wallabout Bay in the years after the Revolution would occasionally find the bodies of those who had been immured on the ships. Eventually, the idea of having a monument erected to memorialize their sacrifice became a cause celebre, with such notables as Whitman calling loudly for its construction.
Participants in the commemoration will include re-enactors from Colonel Pawling’s Independent Corps of Levies of the Brigade of the American Revolution and historian Barnet Schecter.
For further information, call 718-499-7600.
Other highlights of Battle Week will take place at Green-Wood Cemetery, Fifth Avenue and 25th Street, on Sunday, August 24th.
First up is the annual memorial march sponsored by the Irish American Parade Committee. That will commence at 9:30 a.m. at the cemetery’s main gate, with a wreath-laying ceremony at the archway at 10 a.m.
In addition, participants will wind their way behind the lone bagpiper to visit several notable locations: Among them, the graves of Matilda Tone, the wife of Irish patriot Theobald Wolfe Tone, and historian John Gallagher; the Irish Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Minerva Monument on Battle Hill.
The purpose of the commemoration, according to the committee, is to draw attention to, “The vast contributions and significant and historic role of the Irish in the first battle of the American Revolution fought in Brooklyn. Erin’s sons and daughters served with great distinction, honor and heroism in all of the wars and many are buried in Green-Wood.”
Then, beginning at 12:30 and lasting till 1:15 p.m. there will be a Revolutionary War re-enactment inside Green-Wood’s main gate, followed by a parade to the top of Battle Hill at 1:30 p.m., and a memorial ceremony sponsored by the Battle of Brooklyn Memorial Society, at 2 p.m. The guest speaker will be Linda Reno, a genealogist of the Maryland 400.
“More than 20 flags of the Revolutionary period will be flown,” noted Eric Kramer, the society’s chairperson. In addition, said Kramer, there will be a display “that shows where each of the flags was carried, and the history of each.”
For further information on the afternoon’s events, call 718-852-8235.
Finally, on Wednesday, August 27th, there will be a salute to the Battle of Brooklyn by the Park Slope watering hole, The Gate, in conjunction with Brooklyn Brewery.
That event, held at the Gate, 321 Fifth Avenue, will feature a range of Brooklyn Brewery beers on tap and a historical talk about the Battle of Brooklyn. According to the restaurant, it will be a fundraiser for the Old Stone House. Further details, including the time, were not available at press time. For additional information, call 718-768-4329 or log onto www. thegatebrooklyn. blogspot.com.
Ongoing throughout all of Battle Week is the opportunity to view two related exhibits.
One, focused specifically on the Battle of Brooklyn, can be viewed at the Harbor Defense Museum at Fort Hamilton Army Base, Fort Hamilton Parkway and 101st Street. The fort overlooks the Narrows, where some of the British soldiers came ashore to fight. There are also daily tours of the fort.
Admission to the base and museum is free. However, a valid photo ID is required. Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For further information, call 718-630-4349 or log onto www. harbordefensemuseum.com.
The other exhibit, “It Happened in Brooklyn” can be viewed at the Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street, on the third floor. The society is open to visitors Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For further information, call 718-222-4111.
