This is John Batchel, speaking to Professor Benjamin Carp, his new book, The Great New York Fire of 1776,

a lost story of the American Revolution. New York was burned while the British occupied in 1776.

This is following the defeat on Long Island and the retreat of Washington's Army north to Manhattan and then off

the island entirely. However, the city burned between September 20th and September 21st. A crime never

solved. And here the professor describes how the fire brigades that were meant to stop these configurations was not adequate to the

task ahead.

But Benjamin Karp, the fire that burned New York, never solved.

The accusation by the British was the Americans did it.

Accusation by the Colonials was the British did it.

It deprived the British of a healthy place to spend the winter.

At the same time, inspired the city to be deserted.

So the puzzle all these centuries later.

The Great New York Fire of 1776, more of this later.

Yeah, I mean, the city had been occupied by the American Army for months. A lot of the normal

civilian governance of the city had just deteriorated and broken down. So much of the city was

depopulated. That included some of the firemen.

You know, the New Yorkers were just not paying as,

it could not pay as much attention to fire prevention as they otherwise might.

So yeah, some fire equipment had deteriorated.

The bells were now gone.

You needed both ordinary civilians and expert engine men if a fire broke out. And on the morning,

early morning hours of September 21st, 1776, New York just doesn't have the full protection of what it had during the colonial period. All right. The payoff. It's midnight.

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