Staten Island Parley

Background. In late 1775 and early 1776, British authorities planning how to deal with the rebellion in the Thirteen Colonies decided to send a large military expedition to occupy New York City. After the expedition arrived in North America in July 1776, Lord Howe made several attempts to open communications with General George Washington, the Continental Army's commander-in-chief.

Diplomatic Preconditions. Lord Howe had previously discussed colonial grievances informally with Benjamin Franklin in 1774 and 1775, without resolution. When Washington and Patterson met on July 20, the latter learned that the Howes' diplomatic powers were essentially limited to the granting of pardons; Washington responded that the Americans had not committed any faults and so did not need pardons. The supplied passages do not further identify Patterson.

The Conference. The conference took place on September 11, 1776, a few days after British forces captured Long Island and less than three months after the United States Declaration of Independence. It was held at Billop Manor, the Staten Island residence of Loyalist Christopher Billop. The Americans insisted that any negotiations required British recognition of the Declaration of Independence proclaimed on July 4.

Aftermath and Legacy. When Howe expressed that he would feel America's loss "like the loss of a brother," Franklin replied that the Americans would do their utmost to save him that mortification. Howe unhappily stated he could not view the American delegates as anything but British subjects. The next major peace effort came in 1778 with the Carlisle Peace Commission in British-occupied Philadelphia. The conference house is now preserved as a museum within Conference House Park.