On This Day

Continental Army evacuates Long Island and falls back to Manhattan, NYC

Governors Island is a 172-acre (70 ha) island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan.

Governors Island is a 172-acre (70 ha) island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately 800 yards (730 m) south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the 400-yard-wide (370 m) Buttermilk Channel. The National Park Service administers a small portion of the north end of the island as the Governors Island National Monument, including two former military fortifications named Fort Jay and Castle Williams. The Trust for Governors Island operates the remaining 150 acres (61 ha), including 52 historic buildings, as a public park.

Historical Significance

Governors Island is a 172-acre (70 ha) island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan.

Events Before

  1. British Parliament declares Massachusetts Colony in rebellion

    British Parliament declares Massachusetts Colony in rebellion

  2. Patrick Henry proclaims "Give me liberty or give me death" in a speech encouraging Virginia troops to join the American

    Patrick Henry proclaims "Give me liberty or give me death" in a speech encouraging Virginia troops to join the American Revolutionary War

  3. Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott ride from Charlestown to Lexington warning "the regulars are coming out!"

    Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott ride from Charlestown to Lexington warning "the regulars are coming out!" [1]

  4. American Revolution begins in Lexington, Massachusetts, with the "Shot Heard Round the World" fired later that day in Co

    American Revolution begins in Lexington, Massachusetts, with the "Shot Heard Round the World" fired later that day in Concord

  5. Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, issuing paper currency for the first time

    The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and Revolutionary War, which established American…

Events After

  1. General George Washington's Revolutionary Army defeats British forces at the Battle of Princeton, New Jersey

    The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials.

  2. US Continental Congress adopts the Stars & Stripes flag, designed by Francis Hopkinson, replacing the Grand Union flag

    The Betsy Ross flag is a 1792 design for the flag of the United States that first appeared in a painting of George Washington at Trenton by John Trumbull.

  3. American seamstress Betsy Ross (25) weds (for the 2nd time) mariner Joseph Ashburn

    American seamstress Betsy Ross (25) weds (for the 2nd time) mariner Joseph Ashburn

  4. Independent Vermont introduces a new constitution prohibiting slavery

    Independent Vermont introduces a new constitution prohibiting slavery

  5. King Louis XVI of France and his Foreign Minister clandestinely agree to supply the United States with munitions during

    King Louis XVI of France and his Foreign Minister clandestinely agree to supply the United States with munitions during the American Revolution

More from the 1770s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 30, 1776?
Governors Island is a 172-acre (70 ha) island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately 800 yards (730 m) south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the 400-yard-wide (370 m) Buttermilk Channel. The National Park Service administers a small portion of the north end of the island as the Governors Island National Monument, including two former military fortifications named Fort Jay and Castle Williams.
Why is Continental Army evacuates Long Island and falls back to Manhattan, NYC significant?
Governors Island is a 172-acre (70 ha) island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan.

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