Brooklyn Timeline: Brooklyn Heights
- George Washington returning to New York, triumphant. He’d had to beat a hasty retreat out of Brooklyn a few years earlier, but no big deal. He won in the end.
The Revolutionary War Era: or Did You Know Fort Greene Used to Be In Brooklyn Heights?
A lot of pivotal things happened in Brooklyn during the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, they mostly pivoted in the direction of the British. But! Not all of them. And you know the old saying, they may have won the battle, but WE won the war (unless you, dear reader, are British, in which case, well, I’m sure you’re over it by now.) Anyway, as the Brooklyn Heights Association notes “Brooklyn Heights, was in a strategic spot because of its commanding position over the harbor.” This led George Washington to construct two different forts within the neighborhood, one being Fort Sterling on what is now Clark Street, and one being Fort Greene, which stood at the corner of what are now State and Schermerhorn Streets. However, these forts just didn’t get the job done and what Brooklyn Heights is really notable for in terms of its Revolutionary War highlights reel, is being the site of Washington and his army’s retreat after being soundly thumped in the Battle of Brooklyn. But it was a very successful retreat. Spoiler: they got away, you guys. So, really, that’s what counts.