The American Revolution had entered a new political reality by mid-July 1776.
The Continental Congress had declared the colonies free and independent states, but Britain did not recognize that change. To British officials, the Americans remained subjects in rebellion who might still be persuaded to lay down their arms, accept a pardon, and return to royal allegiance.
That fundamental disagreement shaped a series of unusual exchanges in New York during the weeks after independence was declared. While British ships and soldiers gathered around the city, Admiral Lord Richard Howe and General William Howe attempted to open communication with Washington. Their efforts appeared to offer reconciliation, but the terms revealed how differently the two sides now understood the conflict.
The Howe Brothers Arrive in New York
General William Howe had commanded British forces at Boston before evacuating the city in March 1776. His older brother, Admiral Richard Howe, arrived off New York that summer with additional ships, troops, and a commission intended to help restore peace.
The brothers occupied an unusual position. They were preparing to conduct a major military campaign while also presenting themselves as agents of reconciliation.
Their authority, however, was limited. They could offer pardons to Americans who abandoned the rebellion and returned to British allegiance, but they had little power to recognize the Continental Congress, negotiate American independence, or address many of the political grievances that had brought the colonies to war.
By the time Admiral Howe reached New York, Congress had already voted for independence. The offer he carried was therefore based on a political relationship the Americans had formally rejected.
A Dispute Over Recognition
The first dispute concerned not the contents of a letter, but the name written on its outside.
On July 14, a British officer approached the American lines under a flag of truce carrying a letter addressed to:
“George Washington, Esq.”
Washington’s aide, Joseph Reed, refused to accept it. There was, he explained, no person in the Continental Army bearing that title.
The response was deliberate. “Esquire” addressed Washington as a private gentleman, not recognizing him as a general or acknowledging his position as commander in chief of the Continental Army.
A second attempt followed with a letter addressed to “George Washington, Esq., &c., &c.” The additional abbreviations did not resolve the disagreement. Washington again declined to receive correspondence that avoided recognizing his official capacity.
The argument may appear overly formal today, but it was about more than etiquette.
To acknowledge “General Washington” would have meant recognizing the Continental Army as an organized military force and Washington as its legitimate commander. Britain continued to regard the Americans as rebellious subjects rather than a separate nation with its own government and army. Washington’s refusal forced that contradiction into the open.
Patterson Comes to Headquarters
On July 20, Lieutenant Colonel James Patterson, adjutant general to General William Howe, arrived at Washington’s headquarters in New York.
Washington received him with the formal courtesies afforded to a British officer. Patterson attempted to resolve the disagreement over the letter, suggesting that its form of address was not intended as an insult. He placed the correspondence on the table, but Washington maintained that an address suitable for a private person did not recognize his public position.
The conversation then turned to the Howe brothers’ commission.
Patterson described their desire to end the conflict and restore peace. Washington answered that their authority appeared to extend principally to granting pardons.
According to the account recorded by his secretary, Washington observed that:
“Those who had committed no fault wanted no pardon.”
The statement highlighted the central problem in the British proposal. A pardon assumed guilt. It offered forgiveness in exchange for submission and a return to royal allegiance.
Washington and Congress no longer accepted that premise. From their perspective, the colonies were defending rights they already possessed and had now declared themselves independent in order to preserve.
The meeting remained civil, but it produced no agreement.
Reconciliation on British Terms
The Howe brothers were not necessarily eager for a prolonged war. Richard Howe had previously known Benjamin Franklin in London, and both brothers were associated with political circles that had expressed sympathy for colonial grievances. Personal sympathy, however, could not overcome the limitations of their commission.
They could invite Americans to lay down their arms. They could grant clemency to those who renewed their allegiance to the Crown. They could listen to complaints and communicate them to the British government.
They could not negotiate with the Continental Congress as the government of an independent nation.
An Offer Backed by an Army
It is important to note that the July 20 meeting did not take place in isolation from the military campaign gathering around New York.
British forces had begun landing on Staten Island in late June. Warships and transports filled the surrounding waters, and additional soldiers continued to arrive throughout the summer. The expedition eventually included British regulars, German auxiliaries commonly known as Hessians, sailors, and marines.
Washington understood the importance of New York. Its harbor could support a large fleet, while the Hudson River offered a potential route northward that might separate New England from the other colonies. The surrounding islands and waterways also gave Britain’s navy a significant advantage.
The Americans strengthened fortifications, positioned troops in Manhattan and on Long Island, and watched for signs of where the British might strike. Washington faced the difficult task of defending a region divided by rivers and bays against an enemy that could move troops by water.
While Patterson spoke of accommodation at Washington’s headquarters, the Howe brothers were assembling the military power intended to bring the rebellion to an end.
*Pictured: View of the Narrows between Long Island and Staten Island, with the British fleet at anchor and Lord Howe arriving.
Two Sides of the Same Moment
The meeting between Washington and Patterson is often remembered for one memorable line about pardons, but its larger significance lies in what the two men could no longer agree upon.
Britain saw rebellion and offered forgiveness.
The Americans claimed independence and rejected the assumption that they had done wrong.
Outside Washington’s headquarters, the ships and soldiers gathering around New York showed how Britain intended to resolve the disagreement if reconciliation failed. The diplomatic offer and the approaching invasion were not separate stories but two expressions of the same British policy: submission could be accepted peacefully, or it could be compelled by force.
Remember New York in 1776
Our limited-edition Brooklyn Heights Tea recalls New York as it stood during the Revolution: divided in its loyalties, surrounded by British forces, and standing at the center of the struggle for independence.
Filled with loose-leaf Oolong, the New York Celebration Cities Tin commemorates a city on the precipice of battle.
