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The British withdrawal from Boston in early 1776 sparked numerous celebrations across the northern colonies and in Congress. Many thought it would lead to a new round of negotiations with London to secure more favourable liberties. However, John Adams and General George Washington were more committed to the cause and began preparations to meet British General Sir William Howe’s next target − New York. Howe, while regrouping in Halifax, was in correspondence with Lord Germain, Secretary of State for America, on the strategic importance of New York because of its safe and deep harbour, large Loyalist population, location as gateway to Canada via the Hudson valley and its mercantile infrastructure. By late August 1776, Howe amassed an army of 32,000 men and a flotilla numbering 400 ships with the intent of capturing Long Island and then staging an invasion of New York Island (Manhattan). The battle which ensued was perfectly executed and the British convincingly defeated the American defenders, but Howe’s reluctance to complete the victory and possibly end the rebellion would be hotly debated from his time up to the present. In the battle’s aftermath, American General Israel Putnam was prompted to remark “Howe is either our friend or no general.”

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Robert Muscat is President of the Military History Society of New South Wales. He holds two masters degrees in Education and is currently the principal of a high school in western Sydney. Robert is a former rifleman in the Australian Army Reserve and has spoken and written about military history in various forums, including in the Society’s lecture program and magazine, Reconnaissance. In August 2017 he gave a lecture to the Society on the Saratoga Campaign of the American Revolutionary War which was published as an article in the Autumn 2019 Issue of Reconnaissance. Robert’s last Society lecture was about the Korean War Battle of Maryang-San.

Saturday, 7 February 2026, 10:30AM-11:30AM, Auditorium, Anzac Memorial Hyde Park, corner Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets, Sydney CBD. Admission is free of charge but a donation would be appreciated. For further information call 0419 698 783 or email: president@militaryhistorynsw.com.au.

The current venue for The Military History Society of New South Wales lecture program will be the Auditorium at the Anzac Memorial Hyde Park, corner of Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets, Sydney CBD. Numerous bus services stop at the location and Museum railway station is only 160 metres away. The venue will be opening its doors at 10:00AM sharp.