Green-Wood the setting for a day of remembrance of Battle of Brooklyn

The sound of muskets and cannons firing reverberated throughout Green-Wood Cemetery on Sunday, August 25, as history buffs from near and far converged on the old burying ground to mark the 237^th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn, which was fought, in part, on the rolling hills of the cemetery.

Among those who came together to honor those who had fought and died during the early battle of the American Revolution were Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, cemetery representatives and members of the Battle of Brooklyn Memorial Society, which arranges for the re-enactments that are a key facet of the day’s activities.

Besides the battle and 18^th century life re-enactments, the day included also a march past an array of Revolutionary War era flags to the summit of Battle Hill, Brooklyn’s highest point, where the state of Minerva waves to the Statue of Liberty, some three and a half miles away in New York Harbor.

Another highlight was the reading of the names of the Maryland 400, the militia members who early in the skirmish made a spirited defense of the nearby Old Stone House that enabled George Washington and his troops to make their escape from Brooklyn so they could continue the struggle for independence at another place and time.