Conquer or Die

March 1776: After a year of relentless siege, the British army, unable to break the stalemate, evacuated Boston, Massachusetts, and sailed for refuge and refitting in Nova Scotia. Although driven from the American colonies, the British army's military resolve remained strong.

Ready to re-engage in military operations in the American colonies, British leadership focused on the city of New York.

The second-largest city in the colonies and a major center of trade, New York was a hive of Loyalist sentiment. As American delegates gathered in Philadelphia to declare independence in the summer of 1776, Great Britain dispatched the largest expeditionary force the world had ever seen to New York City. Totaling more men than the population of any city in the American colonies, 32,000 British and Hessian soldiers and sailors converged on New York Harbor. Only 23,000 American Continentals, militia, and the burgeoning leadership of George Washington stood to defend the city. "[T]he fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army," Washington declared. These defenders were resolved to "Conquer or Die."

While word of declared independence swept to the far reaches of the colonies, so too did the winds of hope. So, too, did despair. Over the course of the late summer and fall, Washington's brave army suffered defeat after defeat across New York and New Jersey. Could independence stand as the Continental army fell?

In Conquer or Die: The 1776 New York Campaign, historians Mark Maloy and Dan Welch not only describe the ferocious fighting around New York, they also take readers across the five boroughs to where the action happened. Though many of these pivotal battlefields are unrecognizable today, they still stand as hallowed ground where hundreds of Patriots shed their blood fighting for the cause of American freedom. Discover the hidden Revolutionary War history of old New York in Conquer or Die.