7. The Hessian Soldiers Were Housed in Bushwick During the Revolutionary War

The British handling of the Revolutionary War was unpopular in England, and an overstretched empire was forced to rely on mercenaries to outfit its colonial fighting force. King George III turned to blood relations in Germany, including a large contingent from Hesse-Cassel province, known as the Hessians. The Hessians were known for fighting with “skill and savagery,” which they displayed aplenty during the Battle of Brooklyn (in present-day Prospect Park) where they gored hapless Americans with bayonets, even after surrender. Their reputation followed them during the occupation; the British saw fit to house them in Bushwick, where they took over local homes and burned fences for firewood. In general, the British army needed all the wood it could get its hands on for military purposes, and it chopped down much of the Bushwick forest, which opened new areas for farming after the war.