The Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776, was a significant British victory in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War over American forces under the command of General George Washington, and the opening battle in a successful British campaign to gain control of New York City in 1776. The Americans had lined New York's harbor with various levels of entrenchment and fortification, which were defended by an array of Continental Army forces and militia companies from New York and nearby states.Gallagher, pp. 75–80 After the British made an unopposed landing on Long Island in mid-August, Washington reinforced forward positions in the hills of central Brooklyn.Gallagher, p. 99

The British forces were led by Lieutenant General William Howe, and included veterans of the Siege of Boston, new regiments from Ireland, and hired German troops from Hesse-Kassel. On August 27, 1776, Howe made a successful flanking maneuver around the American left while occupying the American right with diversionary battle. As a result, a significant portion of the American army became entrapped and surrendered after its retreat to the entrenched position was cut off.Gallagher, pp. 97–134 With a siege of the position looming, General Washington successfully withdrew his remaining army to Manhattan in the early hours of August 29.Fischer, pp. 99–101

Key Unit: this column identifies the unit being described or summarized. Divisions, the largest unit of aggregation (called "Lines" in the British order of battle) are identified by bold text centered in a darker background spanning the table. Brigades, the intermediate unit size, are identified only by bold text. The brigades are composed of smaller units, usually regiments or battalions, but sometimes including formations as small as companies. Unless otherwise noted, a smaller unit falls within the command hierarchy of a preceding larger unit. Commander: the field commander of the unit on the day of the battle. Unit size: the reported size of the unit. This number does not normally include the officers of the unit. Casualties: a listing of the casualties the unit incurred, to the level documented. In the Other column, number of captured are followed by the letter C, and number of missing by the letter M. Notes: other notes about the unit, possibly including further details about its place of origin and its movements in the battle theater.

British and Hessian forces The British Army at the start of the campaign was drawn from three sources. The first was troops that had been in the Siege of Boston, which ended when the British evacuated their troops from the city to Halifax, Nova Scotia in March 1776.Field, p. 124 The second was new levies raised in the British Isles, including a significant number of Irish troops. The third was troops provided by several small German principalities of the Holy Roman Empire.Field, p. 130 After the war broke out in 1775, the British government realized that it would need more troops than it could raise on its own to fight the war, so it sought to hire troops from willing third parties in Europe. Only a few German rulers were willing to provide troops.Fischer, p. 52 The single largest contingent, with more than 12,000 arriving in North America in 1776, came from the Landgraviate of Hessen-Kassel.Eelking, p. 23 All of the German troops with the British at the start of the New York campaign were from Hesse-Kassel,Eelking, pp. 24–25 and were under the command of Lt. Gen. Leopold Philip von Heister.Johnston, p. 136 A regiment from Waldeck that was also destined for the New York theater did not arrive until after Manhattan was occupied.Eelking, p. 45

Some of the troops sent from Europe had first been directed at operations in the southern colonies, under the direction of Lt. Gen. Henry Clinton. The expedition attempted to occupy Charleston, South Carolina, but was repulsed in the June Battle of Sullivan's Island; it then sailed for New York to join the army as it gathered on Staten Island in July and August.Field, p. 129 Clinton served as General Howe's second in command.

It was common practice at this time for regiments of the British Army to include companies of light infantry and grenadiers, composed of troops with specialized abilities and training. When an army was assembled, these companies were often separated from their regiments and formed into separate light infantry and grenadier battalions.Fischer, pp. 34–35

The Royal Navy, despite dominating the harbor, played only a limited role in the battle. HMS Roebuck penetrated as far as Red Hook on August 26, but her guns never came within range of American positions.Carrington, p. 201 The navy did provide some logistical support for the battle. It resupplied General James Grant's troops with gunpowder and ammunition late in the battle, and also landed 2,000 Royal Marines to share in the victory.Gallagher, p. 124

The primary source for this data is a return of troops prepared by General Howe on August 22, 1776, five days before the battle, and presented by historian David Hackett Fischer. Howe's report did not include a breakdown of individual unit sizes.Fischer, p. 388 Although a more detailed return for August 27 appears to have once existed,Carrington, p. 199 none of the listed sources reproduces it. According to a summary of that return, the strength of the British land forces under Howe's command was 24,464 fit for duty. This number does not include a brigade of Loyalists raised by Oliver De Lancey, Sr., or the marines, who were not under Howe's command. Howe's headcount, including officers and those unfit for duty, came to 31,625.Carrington, p. 200 The casualty figures for British units are from a casualty-only return prepared by General Howe, reprinted by Field. It includes a detailed breakdown by unit of British casualties, and a summary of Hessian casualties.Field, pp. 416–419

British units UnitCommanderCasualtiesNotesKilledWoundedOtherTotalLight Infantry BrigadeBrigadier General Alexander Leslie11611M73This brigade led Clinton's column that flanked the American left.Johnston, p. 176 These troops were the first to occupy the unguarded Jamaica Pass.Johnston, p. 1791st Battalion Light InfantryMajor Thomas Musgrave4241M292nd Battalion Light InfantryMajor John Maitland4310353rd Battalion Light InfantryMajor Henry Johnson3609Royal ArtilleryBrigadier General Samuel Cleaveland2507Dragoons—0000The dragoons were at the head of Clinton's column in the attack.16th Light Dragoons (The Queen's)Lieutenant Colonel William Harcourt000017th Light DragoonsLieutenant Colonel Samuel Birch0000First LineCommanderLieutenant General Henry Clinton18490671st BrigadeMajor General James Robertson0202This brigade was the first formation of regular infantry in Clinton's flanking column after Cornwallis's reserve force.4th Regiment of Foot (The King's Own)Major James Ogilvie000015th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel John Bird020227th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel John Maxwell000045th Regiment of FootMajor John Saxton00002nd BrigadeMajor General Robert Pigot00005th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel William Walcott000028th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Robert Prescott000035th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Robert Carr000049th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Calder00005th BrigadeBrigadier General Francis Smith000054th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Alured Clarke0000This regiment remained on Staten Island, and was not in the battle.Eelking, p. 2922nd Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel John Campbell000043rd Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel George Clerke000063rd Regiment of FootMajor Francis Sill00006th BrigadeBrigadier General James Agnew1847065This brigade was placed on the British left, near The Narrows. Agnew's brigade served under Major General Grant in the battle.23rd Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Benjamin Bernard72803544th Regiment of FootMajor Henry Hope101902957th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel John Campbell100164th Regiment of FootCaptain Robert McLeroth0000Second LineCommanderLieutenant General Hugh, Earl Percy7441M523rd BrigadeMajor General Valentine Jones1111M1310th Regiment of FootMajor John Vatass000037th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Robert Abercromby010138th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel William Butler030352nd Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Mungo Campbell171M94th BrigadeMajor General James Grant633039This brigade was placed on the British left, near The Narrows. In the battle, Grant commanded a division that also included Agnew's 6th Brigade. They made an attack on the American right as a distraction from the British move around their left flank.Schecter, p. 14117th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood32102440th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel James Grant2507Grant was killed in the early diversionary attack.Schecter, p. 14646th Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Enoch Markham040455th Regiment of FootMajor Cornelius Cuyler13047th BrigadeBrigadier General William Erskine0000This brigade marched behind Pigot's in Clinton's column. It was among those surrounding Stirling's force from behind.1st Battalion71st Regiment of FootMajor John Macdonnell of Lochgary00002nd Battalion71st Regiment of FootMajor Norman Lamont of Lamont0000Reserve corpsCommanderLieutenant General Charles, Earl Cornwallis146923M106This division followed the light infantry in Clinton's column. After flanking the American left, these troops drove the retreating Americans before them, toward Brooklyn Heights or the Hessian brigades arriving from the American right.Johnston, p. 184Grenadier BrigadeBrigadier General John Vaughan145523M921st Battalion GrenadiersLieutenant Colonel William Medows14052nd Battalion GrenadiersLieutenant Colonel Henry Monckton123822M72This unit was among those surrounding Stirling's forces from behind.Johnston, p. 1873rd Battalion GrenadiersMajor James Marsh01014th Battalion GrenadiersMajor Charles Stuart1121M1433rd Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel James Webster040442nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of FootLieutenant Colonel Thomas Stirling010010Royal MarinesRoyal MarinesCommander not identified in sources1012C13These marines, numbering 2,000, were landed between 10:00 and 11:00 am to support General James Grant. One company of marines mistook an American unit for Hessians and was captured; one of these was killed by gunfire en route to the American lines.Johnston, p. 300British casualties5322837318Unless otherwise cited, the information in this table is provided by Fischer, pp. 388–390, or Field, pp. 416–419.

Hessian units