Four Chimneys

Four Chimneys, home of Hezekiah Beers Pierrepont, was a notable Brooklyn Heights house that served as George Washington's headquarters during the Battle of Long Island in August 1776. On August 29, 1776, Washington and his generals gathered there for a tense council of war. They faced a critical decision: whether the battered, outflanked Continental Army, threatened by British siege tactics, should attempt a risky stand or retreat across the East River. After much deliberation, the officers agreed that retreat was the only way to save the army.

That night, Washington executed one of the war's most brilliant evacuations, quietly ferrying his entire force to Manhattan under cover of darkness and fog. As a result, Four Chimneys became the site of the crucial decision that preserved the Continental Army and allowed the American Revolution to continue.