"Royal Navy on the Hudson" Topic

"Former governor William Tryon and other Tory leaders confirmed the island's loyalty when they met with General Howe aboard the Greyhound immediately after he arrived.

Tryon painted a picture of extensive Loyalist support throughout the region. He predicted that the king's faithful would supply Howe with whatever he needed, particularly men. "I have the satisfaction to inform your Lordship," Howe wrote to Germain, "that there is great reason to expect a numerous body of inhabitants to join the army from the provinces of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, who in this time of universal apprehension only wait for opportunities to give proofs of their loyalty and zeal for government."

Tryon urged Howe to attack Washington immediately. The governor was already doing all he could to organize clandestine resistance in the city and surrounding counties. Working with prominent Loyalists like Oliver De Lancey, Tryon was planning an uprising within the city to coordinate with Howe's invasion. He even hoped to capture or assassinate General Washington. One of Tryon's men, Thomas Hickey (posing as a British deserter), succeeded in joining Washington's bodyguards and was about to capture or kill him when he was discovered on June 20. Hickey was tried and hanged eight days later in front of a crowd of soldiers and irate New Yorkers…"
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