The Red Lion Inn

Most Americans are familiar with the American Revolution in New York. Still, even fewer are aware of the war on Long Island, which in 1776 encompassed the area on Long Island today known as Brooklyn. Sadly, those who actually live in the "How Sweet it Is" borough (also known as Kings County) may know the least.  History is ultimately about people and places, yet most Americans know little of their local history. I confess to sometimes falling into that category.  I blame the localities, not the schools, for failing to properly celebrate themselves.  Okay - rant over. Time to discuss a place, specifically a building, that was center stage for a few hours during the largest battle in the American War for Independence.

There is no existing image of the Red Lion Inn.
The building itself is Howard's Tavern located at the Jamaica Pass
Both were half-way houses.

The Tavern

The Red Lion Inn was named after the tavern where English King Henry V rested after defeating the French at the Battle of Agincourt. It is fitting that the first action in the first major British victory of the American Revolution took place near the inn. The Red Lion Inn was located at the junction of three country roads: Martense Lane, which followed what is now the southern edge of Green-Wood Cemetery; the Narrows Road, which came up the shore of New York Bay from Denny’s Ferry; and the Gowanus Road, which led back up to Brooklyn Heights. This area is roughly 39th Street and 3rd Ave. in Brooklyn, although other accounts place it on 4th and 40th. I refer to Mark M. Boatner's "Landmarks of the American Revolution" as my guide. Boatner states that many battle markers in Brooklyn are imprecise, and I agree. You can read an earlier blog of mine about my personal visit to that part of Brooklyn a few years ago.

The passes and the British flank march around the Americans.
The Red Lion lay along the Flatbush (western-most)
pass on the left

The Action 

Gen James Grant

On August 27, 1776, the Battle of Brooklyn started when a British column led by General James Grant attacked American pickets defending near the Red Lion Inn. Some accounts say the British were foraging for melons when they startled a rebel picket. It was in this, the westernmost pass, that American Major General William Alexander, a Jersey native also known as "Lord Stirling," stood with the largest force defending the Heights of Guan. The British commander was General James Grant, a Scotsman known for his stout heart and physique. Grant hated rebels and urged his men forward with a ferocity rarely seen from the British. His column of about five thousand professionals rolled into the pass, thirsting for action. But Lord Stirling managed to organize some of the Americans into a line of battle on a piece of high ground just off the Gowanus Road. He was joined by a two-gun artillery battery that covered the road. Grant's troops formed into battle lines—creating maximum volley fire at the front—and advanced up the road. This was perhaps the first open-field battle of the war. Stirling held a strong position, and the initial British assault was repelled by American musket fire and cannon shots. Grant then brought up some of his guns and bombarded the American position. His goal was to pin the Americans while a larger part of his forces completed their envelopment. Later, Grant sent a force to the left of the road, but Stirling countered with a detachment that stopped the British.

Lord Stirling

The  Finale

From 7 to 11 a.m., the Americans resisted stubbornly, but eventually, Grant’s forces pushed them back up the Gowanus Road toward the old Stone House. From there, thanks to a heroic counterattack by Lord Stirling, the remaining Americans managed to reach safety in Brooklyn Heights, the British objective, which was crucial for defending The City of New York. Stirling led 400 men from the Maryland and Delaware Continental Line in several frontal assaults on the British troops who had outflanked the defenders and now blocked their way. All but nine were killed, wounded, or captured in the fight. From those Heights, George Washington watched one-third of his force get wiped out. This is the pivotal event in my novel, The Patriot Spy.

Delaware Regiment on Long Island

A Factor?

The Red Lion Inn was not a factor in the battle, unlike the Old Stone House. However, it served as an important landmark. During a time when maps were scarce and often inaccurate, this was significant. Orders frequently referenced landmarks such as bridges, mills, taverns, or farms. Consequently, accounts from both sides mentioned "the Red Lion" or "the Red Lyon" to describe their locations during certain phases of the battle. One might imagine a sign hanging out front showing a red lion, since many taverns used visuals at a time when most men could not read.

Marker at Greenwood Cemetery commemorating
action near the Red Lion Inn (note: Howard's Tavern is the visual)

How(e) did he lose?

Okay, sue me. I’m the king of bad puns. But today, August 10th, is Lord Howe's birthday, so let's move on to the main topic. With a formidable professional army, paid German mercenaries (the world's better fighters), a large Loyalist following, real money, and the best navy in the world—how could Lord William Howe lose his job and set a trend that led to an impasse and eventual defeat by the pitiful rebels in America? Howe took command of British forces in Boston in 1775, replacing General Gage, whose failures included Concord and Bunker Hill. Howe's leadership shaped British actions from then until his recall in early 1778. When his reinforcements arrived, he commanded the largest force England ever sent to America during the trying times that tested men's hearts.

William Howe

Let's examine William, the 5th Viscount Howe, before discussing his death. We can begin with his background. William Howe was born on August 10, 1729, to the 2nd Viscount Howe and Charlotte Von Keilmansegg, daughter of the Countess of Leinster and Darlington. This connection helped launch him and his two brothers into notable military careers. But it gets better—his grandmother was the illegitimate daughter of King George I, making him a cousin to George III. Whether illegitimate or not, connections—including land and titles—carried significant weight in Georgian England. Howe and his brothers served their kinsman, King George II, during the Seven Years’ War (the French and Indian War). 

William rose to command the 58th Regiment of Foot as a lieutenant colonel. To say he served bravely and effectively is an understatement. At the siege of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, he led an amphibious landing that earned him praise. Howe's greatest achievement in the war (though not his last) was leading a force of elite light infantry up a steep, narrow trail that climbed the cliffs overlooking the St. Lawrence River. His bold move under the cover of darkness surprised the French and helped General Wolfe's army defeat the Marquis de Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec. This victory ultimately placed French Canada under British rule. Later in the war, Howe achieved further successes in Canada, France, and Cuba.

 Howe's brother George, a general, died during the French and Indian War, and William took his seat in Parliament in 1757. His politics were, as they said back then, "Whiggish." The Whig party, while not as liberal as today, supported limits on the King's authority. He was sympathetic to many American grievances and kept that sympathy throughout the American War for Independence. When he assumed command of the British forces besieged in Boston, Howe was promoted to lieutenant general in January 1776. 

Howe was a thorough planner and understood tactical, operational, and strategic warfare better than most of his peers. He was well helped by his equally wise brother, Admiral Richard Howe. Richard, called "Black Dick" by Royal Navy sailors because of his dark complexion, was a daring and charismatic leader. With more reinforcements on the way, the Howes started a strategy to isolate New England from the other colonies instead of trying to conquer it. A large naval maneuver moved his forces to Newport, Rhode Island, and from there launched an "envelopment from the sea" on New York, through Staten Island and Long Island. This campaign served as the background for my novel, The Patriot Spy.

The Howe brothers organized multiple amphibious landings, sieges, and sweeping flanking maneuvers under cover of darkness, and they won several pitched battles. Truly, a masterwork of combined arms warfare in 18th-century style! Howe eventually took New York and pushed Washington's army across the Jerseys in a blitzkrieg-like manner. 

Howe liked Americans (but not rebels), so in the Jerseys, Howe's whiggish tendencies led him to attempt a clumsy form of rehabilitation that, had it succeeded, might have ended the war. But it didn't, and his grand maneuvers, successful assaults, and (not so) hot pursuits ultimately failed. To top it off, Howe's decision to move south in his own campaign against the rebel capital at Philadelphia sealed General John Burgoyne's fate at Saratoga in 1777, which proved to be the turning point (sorta) in the war.

Howe liked Americans so much he took one as his mistress. Mrs. Elizabeth Loring was the beautiful young wife of Loyalist schemer Joshua Loring, who traded his wife's charms for a position as Commissary for Prisons, a post that offered Loring opportunities for graft at the expense of his charges. The starvation and disease that plagued American prisoners throughout the war attested to that fact. Howe's interest in his amiable companion led to accusations that she was causing him to linger so long that victory might slip away from the grasp of the victorious British. Many ribald poems and ditties were crafted by citizens and soldiers to celebrate the affair and poke fun at Howe.

One such ditty went...

Sir William he,

snug as a flea,

Lay all this time a snoring,

Nor dreamed of harm

as he lay warm,

In bed with Mrs. Loring.

And another...

Awake, arouse, Sir Billy, 

There's forage on the plain. 

Ah, leave your little filly, 

And open the campaign.

So where did Howe fail? Simply put, he was not a closer—except, it seems, in bed. He also lacked the respect of his two main subordinates, Charles Cornwallis and Henry Clinton. Howe sometimes moved at a sluggish pace. The blitz across New Jersey was led by the vanguard under General Cornwallis. Throughout Howe's campaigns, Cornwallis and Clinton often chafed and complained that Howe was missing decisive follow-up. 

Howe's slow approach repeatedly allowed George Washington's forces to escape. Confident of victory, Howe preferred a steady, methodical approach, hoping to reconcile the rebels. Although he outmaneuvered and outfought Washington from New York to Philadelphia, he never managed to defeat him completely. Washington endured two harsh winters, fearing Howe would attack his weakened Continental Army, but he ultimately escaped.

Henry Clinton

The surrender of Burgoyne's army sent shockwaves from Horse Guards to Hampton Court. Parliament erupted in reaction. Maintaining professional armies was expensive, and the Royal Treasury had its limits. Sensing the pressure, Howe resigned as the winter of 1777-78 drew to a close. His occupation of Philadelphia offered no strategic benefit to the British war effort, and Lord George Germain, the Minister for the Colonies, accepted his resignation. With Charles Cornwallis back in England to care for a sick wife, General Henry Clinton was set to take command.

The story ends in a strange way. Howe was sent off with a wild and costly farewell party called the "Mischianza." This was a Bacchanalia-like mixture of music, plays, exotic costumes, and women dressed in elaborate outfits. The event concluded with a grand revue featuring fireworks and plenty of food, drink, and merrymaking. The organizer was Major John Andre, who would later become known for recruiting the spy, Benedict Arnold. Many British officers attending the Mischianza thought it was an over-the-top display of luxury during a wartime period of hardship. Sir William Howe went back to England and held a series of pretty unremarkable positions until he died in 1814.