Rapelje, living near the ferry, as that the wife of a Tory named began after nightfall, dispatched soon as the retreating movement a negro with information of it to the British camp, but that the mesthe American lines, senger, after safely making his way through had the ill luck to stumble upon an outpost of Hessian mercenaries, who were unable to understand a word of his language, and, not apprehending that he was a person of any importance, did not turn The battle of Long Island, him over to the British until morning. a terrible defeat, Americans the to although in its immediate result followed by the abandonment of Long Island and of New York City also, was, if thoughtfully reflected upon, a defeat of prodigious ultiIf Washington had triumphed in that battle, or mate advantage. even if ils outcome had been comparatively indecisive, his generals would almost certainly have insisted on standing their ground, and in that event he would almost inevitably have suffered a miserable It was the completeness of his defeat alone end on Long Island. by leaving no course of action open exarmy which preserved the Although the loss of New York City also cept immediate retreat. was involved, that, from the American point of view, was more a Without a fleet, Washington never could relief than a catastrophe. have held the city, which, as a base absolutely indispensable for the British, to acquire, would have been taken by them in the end, even An attempt to hold it could have at the cost of reducing it to ashes. troops, and in nothing but a futile sacrifice of energies, resulted