 and had defeated Washington's army at the Battle of Long Island. And it wasn't just a defeat like the kind you could blame on circumstance. It was actually a complete humiliation. When the British landed in Manhattan, the Americans were so shocked by the massive show of force that many of them just ran away. They didn't even fight. At one point, Washington, completely exasperated, threw his hat to the ground and yelled out, and I quote, are these the men with which I am to defend America?