The Battle of Brooklyn, also known as the Battle of Long Island, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the first battle an army of the United States ever engaged in.The battle and its immediate aftermath were marked by the British capture of New York City (becoming the British military and political center of operations in North America for the remainder of the war), the execution of the American Nathan Hale, and the loss of nearly a quarter of the city"s buildings in the Great Fire of New York. In the following weeks British forces occupied Long Island. However, General George Washington and his Continental Army escaped capture.