“They evacuated the city in the utmost precipitation,” a British captain wrote, “… taking nothing with them but their fears.” White flags sprouted from doorways and rooftops as a Hessian brigade swung south on the post road late in the afternoon. Marines came ashore by the Grand Battery, and the 22nd Foot patrolled the Bowery. On the northern cusp of the island, along the Harlem River, Continental sentries stood with bayonets fixed to keep deserters from bolting for New England. Only women and the very sick were permitted to pass, but “soon however a vast body collected, & the father of
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