Happy Thursday, everyone! Before I get into today's post about occupied New York City, I want to welcome our new followers (hello) and urge you to find a friend or two to follow this campaign along with you! We are less than 50 days until launch, and the more followers we have, the better our chances of success. Plus, there's those pre-launch follower and Early Bird rewards out there - some of you have already claimed them! Thanks for that.

Ok, time for a history lesson.

While 300 dishes were served at the Queen's ball, thousands were freezing in the ruins of Trinity Church. Welcome to occupied New York.
 
The British successfully attacked and occupied New York City early in the war, in late August of 1776. They would remain in control of the city until "Evacuation Day" at the end of the war in 1783 (but that is a story for another day...). Not long after the occupation began, a fifth to a quarter of the city went up in smoke in the Great Fire of New York. We are still uncertain of the exact cause of the fire - Loyalists and the British blamed Patriot saboteurs, Patriots blamed wantonly cruel British soldiers. Circumstantial evidence does indeed lean towards Patriots as the arsonists, but the Continental Congress denied any such claims.
 

The Ruins of "Canvas Town"
Regardless of who set fire to what, the consequence was a city that was deeply divided both politically and visually. The charred ruins left behind by the fire were never cleared until after the war, and a shanty town emerged around what remained of Trinity Church as now-homeless refugees put up tents or pinned scrap wood to the remaining skeletons of buildings. In what became a long-standing NYC tradition, rents doubled and doubled again in light of the new housing shortage and the fact that British soldiers were occupying as many standing homes as possible. This "Canvas Town" was exactly as you could imagine it: freezing in winter, boiling in summer, a cesspool of disease. Food prices skyrocketed as the British forces consumed more supplies, and hard currency was in increasingly short supply. Loyalists from around the region swarmed into the city, seeking safety from Patriot neighbors. Additionally, approximately 10,000 escaped slaves settled in the city, as the British promised freedom for any that joined the military (notably among them, Harvey and Deborah Squash, who escaped from slave master George Washington). The sudden population growth (it more than doubled from 1777 to 1779) exacerbated the situation.

Lawlessness Under Martial Law
For their part, the British seemed unconcerned with the well-being of the Loyalists of New York City (unless they had money and status, but we'll get to that). British soldiers preyed on the residents. Robberies, beatings, rapes, and murders grew increasingly common (I touched on this point in Gooseberry's Midnight Ride, which you should read), and soldiers faced minimal discipline for these actions. Civilians were forcibly recruited into the Royal Navy by "press gangs." Violence was common in the Canvas Town as those with nothing fought with each other for what little was available. As civilian courts were suspended, the only legal recourse people had were courts martial. As you can expect, these courts regularly found in favor of the British and their soldiers. Dissenters were quicky arrested and stuffed into a "sugar house" (a stone warehouse used to store...you can guess), if you were lucky. The unlucky ones were sent to the HMS Jersey, a prison ship in Wallabout Bay near Brooklyn. Conditions there were a living hell, to say the least (and it's a story for another day).

The Gentry's Playground
For British officers and Loyalists of means, however, life in "Torytown" was exceedingly pleasant. They occupied the finest houses and mansions still standing in the city. Cricket, croquet, and theater were the order of the day, and balls and feasts filled the evenings. Elites held a birthday feast for Queen Charlotte (yeah, the one from Bridgerton) in January 1780. Local Reverend Ewald Shewkirk noted “great festivities for the gentry, carried too far in excess during times of distress and calamity. Over 300 dishes were served for supper.” This went on while the majority of the city starved and froze to death.

With such a stark contrast, combined with heavy-handed rule by the British, it's no wonder that New York City became the world's hotbed for espionage. Fed-up Loyalists switched sides and supplied information to the Continental Army. Patriot spies, such as the Culper Ring, engaged in their own activities in the area, gathering intel on British plans and troop movements. Into this world steps our own Gooseberry, to bring his own particular talents to bear against the British.

Hopefully this give you a good sense of what New York is actually like during the era of The New Amsterdam Game; I have always loved showcasing settings as characters unto themselves in my stories, and this location is no different!

Stay tuned for more insights like this as we get closer to the campaign launch!