This is CBS I On The World. I'm John Batsworth, Professor Benjamin

Carp, his new book is The Great New York Fire of 1776, a lost story of the American revolution.

Seven years later, October 1783, General Guy Carleton convenes an inquiry

in part to ascertain whether the same the burning was accidental or the effect of a design.

That is the question before the court. Professor, this is wonderful. At first I thought,

no, it can't be true. You kept referring to the inquiry throughout the early part of the book.

And I then realized, no, this is a real thing, very thorough on General Carleton's part.

His questioners had four questions initially to ask of the eyewitnesses of the people who participated.

Do you believe it's an accident? Do you believe it was designed? What do you make of the pumps being sabotaged?

And at this point, what do you make of the after effects of the question of the combustibles that were found that hadn't been burned?

All four questions are put to the witnesses. Is there a summary opinion that speaks to these four questions?

There were others were added at the time. And does the summary opinion give more than we can have in these separate questions, Professor?

Yeah, no, there's never any kind of summary opinion. I mean, these records are thorough, but they are also incomplete.

I think because they just kind of gave up on the inquiry once it was clear that the evacuation was the final evacuation was going to proceed.

And evacuation from New York. The British evacuation from New York, that's correct.

And what's really odd about these records is that they are not in the British National Archives.

They were in the personal papers of the clerk who took down these notes, who brought them in exile to New Brunswick in Canada.

And then in 1893, the New Brunswick historian donated these papers to the New York Historical Society, which is where I was able to look at them on Central Park West.

Wow. I mean, the British didn't hold on to their own records.

These particular records, as far as I know, do not appear in the formal British National Archives. It may well be that Carlton just never submitted them to his superiors.

Well, you've discovered something that I'm sure King Charles will be fascinated with. You know, he's quite the scholar of this period, especially from King George's point of view, to not have the record of something this sensational at the time.

Let me emphasize again, as are coming across this. I knew that it had happened, but I'd never had any detail about it.

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