Res. No. 668
Resolution declaring October 18 as Pell’s Point Patriots Day in the City of New York to commemorate the American soldiers at the Battle of Pell’s Point whose spirit of resistance played an instrumental role in realizing American independence
By Council Member J. Sanchez
Whereas, On August 27, 1776, General William Howe’s British and Hessian troops defeated General George Washington’s Continental Army at the Battle of Long Island, the largest battle fought in the Revolutionary War; and
Whereas, This conflict, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn, resulted in the British takeover of the Port of New York; and
Whereas, The American casualties in Brooklyn were so severe that General Washington remarked “Good God, what brave fellows I must lose”; and
Whereas, On August 29, 1776, General Washington’s troops began rowing across the East River in retreat to Manhattan; and
Whereas, Eyewitnesses recount that General Washington was the last man to leave Brooklyn; and
Whereas, On October 12, 1776, General Howe landed some 4,000 British troops at Throgs Neck, in what is today a neighborhood of the Bronx, as a part of a flanking maneuver against Washington’s troops, hoping to cut the American supply line to Connecticut and confront General Washington in battle; and
Whereas, This amphibious British attack on New York was met by 25 American soldiers under the command of Pennsylvania Colonel Edward Hand; and
Whereas, Upon seeing the enemy, Colonel Hand’s men burned the Westchester Creek Bridge at Throgs Neck, while his riflemen held off the powerful enemy until reinforcements came; and
Whereas, The site of these hostilities is now the campus of Herbert H. Lehman High Schoo1, a New York City public school; and
Whereas, In the face of this resistance, General Howe decided to retreat; and
Whereas, In the early morning of October 18, General Howe attempted another amphibious attack, this time at Pell’s Point in what is today Pelham Bay Park; and
Whereas, Upon landing, General Howe’s nearly 4,000 men marched down Shore Road and Split Rock Road; and
Whereas, Approximately 750 soldiers under the command of Colonel John Glover of Massachusetts were positioned along what is today Sandford Boulevard in Mount Vernon in Westchester County; and
Whereas, As the British advanced into Eastchester Bay, Colonel Glover led his troops in a staggered formation to meet the British forces; and
Whereas, As Colonel Glover’s men took cover behind a line of stone walls on Split Rock Road, they surprised British soldiers at point-blank range; and
Whereas, After each round of engagement, Colonel Glover’s soldiers retreated to join with American troops stationed at the next wall; and
Whereas, As British reinforcements arrived, Colonel Glover risked being surrounded, and when the American position became unsustainable, he ordered a retreat; and
Whereas, Though not a decisive American victory, the Battle of Pell’s Point raised American morale in the Revolutionary War and inflicted meaningful damage to British forces; and
Whereas, Colonel Glover’s tactic of staggered resistance successfully delayed British advancement, buying General Washington time to withdraw to White Plans and strengthen the position of American forces; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the Council of the City of New York declares October 18 as Pell’s Point Patriots Day in the City of New York to commemorate the American soldiers at the Battle of Pell’s Point whose spirit of resistance played an instrumental role in realizing American independence.
LSR# 24816
8/20/2026