On August 27, 1776, the British Army successfully moved against the American Continental Army led by George Washington. The battle, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn, was part of a British campaign to seize control of New York and thereby isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. Washington’s defeat could have led to the surrender of his entire force, but his ingenuity instead allowed him to order the retreat of some 9,000 Continental soldiers across the East River to Manhattan and continue the fight.