How fog changed the American Revolution

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]How fog changed the American Revolution.

[00:00:02]One random weather event in 1776 changed the entire American Revolution. The British absolutely had Washington cornered after the Battle of Long Island and his army was stuck in Brooklyn Heights. They were outnumbered 20,000 to 9,000. The Navy controlled the East River and Britain was preparing for its knockout blow. Washington ordered a miracle evacuation. Under the cover of darkness, he tried to slip 9,000 soldiers, horses, cannons, and supplies across the river to Manhattan. But at dawn, they were still evacuating. And if the British saw them, it would have been game over. And then there was a freak meteorological event. A dense fog bank literally caused by cold river water meeting humid August air rolled in between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. And British centuries literally couldn't see more than 10 m ahead. Washington was the last person to leave the shore. If the fog hadn't arrived, he would have been captured. The Continental Army could have collapsed and the revolution might have ended within the first