Green-Wood Cemetery Battle Hill

Battle Hill is the highest point in Brooklyn at 220 feet above sea level, located within Green-Wood Cemetery. The hill was the site of fierce fighting during the Battle of Brooklyn on August 27, 1776, the largest battle of the American Revolution.

During the battle, approximately 400 Maryland troops made a heroic stand on Battle Hill against 2,000 British soldiers, sacrificing themselves to allow George Washington's army to retreat to Brooklyn Heights and eventually escape across the East River to Manhattan.

A bronze statue of the goddess Minerva atop Battle Hill gazes across the harbor toward the Statue of Liberty, creating a symbolic connection between the Revolutionary War sacrifice on this hilltop and the liberty that their sacrifice ultimately secured.

The Battle of Brooklyn was the first major engagement after the Declaration of Independence and resulted in a devastating American defeat. Washington's ability to retreat with his army intact, despite the loss, preserved the Continental Army to fight another day.

Battle Hill provides the highest vantage point in Brooklyn, a place where the bloodiest fighting of the Revolution occurred on ground that now provides sweeping views of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty that the Maryland troops' sacrifice helped make possible.