Ben Carp on the New York Fire, 10 Feb. and More

On Friday, 10 February, the New York Military Affairs Symposium will host an online talk by Benjamin L. Carp on his new book, The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution.

The teaser text:

It’s New York City, summer of 1776, and an unruly rebel army under General George Washington’s command repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let it fall into the hands of the British. In August, after the Patriots’ defeat at the Battle of Brooklyn, Washington made a miraculous escape with his army across the East River to Manhattan. The British captured New York City, then much of it mysteriously burned to the ground.

Carp explores that fire and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Ben Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Associate Professor of American History at Brooklyn College. He taught at Tufts University several years back, and is also the author of Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America.

This online talk is the first of several events listed on Carp’s website. If you can’t tune in on Friday, you’ll have more chances to hear him speak on the New York Fire in the coming months.

Thursday, 23 February, 7:00 P.M.
Putnam History Museum

Thursday, 2 March, 6:30 P.M.
Six Bridges Book Festival

Thursday, 20 March, 6:30 P.M.
Gotham Center for New York City History

Thursday, 27 April, 7:00 P.M.
Fred W. Smith National Library

There will also be in-person events in greater New York.