Greenwood Heights

VIDEO: Green-Wood recreates Revolutionary War landscape to commemorate the Battle of Brooklyn

August 27, 2018 By Liliana Bernal Special to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle
British forces prepare for the battle with foot drills. Eagle photos by Paul Frangipane
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With Revolutionary War-era cannons, spirited demonstrations of artillery and dozens of re-enactors portraying American and British troops, Green-Wood Cemetery commemorated the 242nd anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn on Sunday.

Back on Aug. 27, 1776, a cemetery area, now known as Green-Wood Battle Hill, was the scenario of the largest battle of the American Revolution and the first battle in U.S. history after the Declaration of Independence.

In front of an enthusiastic crowd, re-enactors representing the American and British soldiers lined up against each other to demonstrate the weaponry and battlefield tactics of the late 1770s.

“I hope we’re gonna be able to defeat these fellows today, I don’t know, though,” said Michael Grillo, who has been impersonating Gen. George Washington for several years. “This outcome may pertain to the lives of millions of unborn people in the future.”

Although the patriots ultimately lost the battle, a small regiment known as the Maryland 400 provided a distraction while Washington and his continental army made its escape and eventually went on to win the war.

After the re-enactment, visitors with replicas of regimental Revolutionary War flags marched up to Battle Hill to the music of the Regimental Band of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. On the hill, organizers held a ceremony that paid tribute to the heroic soldiers who fought there 242 years ago.

 

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