The Battle of Long Island

 The Battle of Long Island took place in August 1776 and was a victory for the British. In terms of troop deployment and fighting, it was the largest battle of the entire war.

General George Washington brought the Continental Army to defend the port city of New York, which was the southern end of Manhattan Island at the time.

In July, the British landed on Staten Island. They began to reinforce their troops with by ships in Lower New York Bay, bringing their total force to 32,000 troops. Washington moved the bulk of his forces to Manhattan, believing that it would be the first target.

On August 27, the British attacked American defenses on the Guan Heights. Unknown to the Patriots, however, Howe had brought his main army around their rear and attacked their flank soon after. The Patriots panicked, resulting in 20% losses through casualties and captures. The remainder of the army retreated to the main defenses on Brooklyn Heights.

Shortly after fighting began, the British cornered Washington and his men in Brooklyn Heights. He was surrounded on all sides with the East River to his back and no feasible means of winning the battle. Instead of surrendering, Washington evacuated the army and retreated to Manhattan. Washington’s failure there left New York firmly in British hands until the end of the war.

 

 

Sources Cited:

 “Battle of Long Island.” American Revolutionary War, American Revolutionary War, 13 Jan. 2018, revolutionarywar.us/year-1776/battle-long-island/

“Brooklyn Battle Facts and Summary.” American Battlefield Trust, www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/brooklyn

Milleridge Inn

 In 1672, a house consisting of two rooms and a central fireplace was built by Mary Willets in Jericho.  The house was used to quarter British & Hessian troops. The house was expanded, adding an upstairs, a scullery, and barns and stables. In 1770, Elias Hicks married Jemima Seaman, great-granddaughter to Mary Willets. In 1783, Elias opened his home to travelers. The food served was very simple: stews, fish, meat, and bread. After dinner, the travelers were invited to spread their bedrolls around the heart and spend the night.

A fire struck the house, with it being badly damaged and several members of the resident family perished. The original section of the house was relatively unscathed, but the top floor with the bedrooms needed to be completely rebuilt. The structure continued to be used as a family home as well as an inn until the 1900’s. The Milleridge Inn opened in what was once the historic wayfarer’s inn over 50 years ago. In 2016, Butch Yamali, owner of the Dover Group and attorney Anthony Capetola, who owns Carltun on the Park in East Meadow, bought the Inn and formed Milleridge Ventures.

The original rooms and fireplace still stands and can be seen ahead and to the left of the present main entrance. Over the course of decades, guests and staff have witnessed unexplained phenomena like doors closing, baby cradles swaying, chairs rocking, full apparitions manifesting, phantom touches and many other paranormal activity. There is a child’s footprint permanently marked in the hardwood flooring on the second floor, which staff claims it continuously reappears, even after the floor has been stripped, sanded and buffed, for many years.

 

Sources:

“Haunted Long Island: The Milleridge Inn.” The Witching Hour, 18 Oct. 2011, 4girlsandaghost.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/haunted-long-island-the-milleridge-inn

Hinko, Christy. “Conjuring Milleridge Inn Spirits.” Long Island Weekly, 20 Oct. 2021, longislandweekly.com/schellshock/. 

“History of Milleridge.” Milleridge, milleridgeinn.com/wp-content/themes/milleridge-child/History_of_Milleridge.pdf. Accessed 7 Aug. 2023

Winzelberg, David. “New Owners Take Over Milleridge Inn.” Long Island Business News, 4 Jan. 2016, libn.com/2016/01/04/new-owners-take-over-milleridge-inn