<P> The Great Fire of New York was a devastating fire that burned through the night of September 20, 1776, and into the morning of September 21, on the West Side of what then constituted New York City at the southern end of the island of Manhattan . It broke out in the early days of the military occupation of the city by British forces during the American Revolutionary War . </P> <P> The fire destroyed about one third of the city, while some unaffected parts of the city were plundered . Many people believed or assumed that one or more people deliberately started the fire, for a variety of different reasons . British leaders accused revolutionaries acting within the city and state, and many residents assumed that one side or the other had started it . The fire had long - term effects on the British occupation of the city, which did not end until 1783 . </P> <P> The American Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775 . The city of New York was already an important center of business but had not yet become a sprawling metropolis . It occupied only the lower portion of the island of Manhattan and had a population of approximately 25,000 . Before the war began, the Province of New York was politically divided, with active Patriot organizations and a colonial assembly that was strongly Loyalist . After the battles of Lexington and Concord, Patriots seized control of the city and began arresting and expelling Loyalists . </P> <P> Early in the summer of 1776, when the war was still in its early stages, British General William Howe embarked on a campaign to gain control of the city and its militarily important harbor . After occupying Staten Island in July, he launched a successful attack on Long Island in late August, assisted by naval forces under the command of his brother, Admiral Lord Richard Howe . American General George Washington recognized the inevitability of the capture of New York City, and withdrew the bulk of his army about 10 miles (16 km) north to Harlem Heights . Several people, including General Nathanael Greene and New York's John Jay advocated burning the city down to deny its benefits to the British . Washington laid the question before the Second Continental Congress, which rejected the idea: "it should in no event be damaged ." </P>

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