General William Howe

William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe

William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...

 was billeted with his aides-de-camp in this farmhouse and tavern

Tavern

A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....

 at New Dorp, Staten Island

New Dorp, Staten Island

New Dorp – an anglicization of Nieuwe Dorp, Dutch for New Village – is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. The community lies near the foot of Todt Hill, with Grant City immediately to its north, Oakwood bordering to the south, and...

, in 1776, when 30,000 British and Hessian soldiers were encamped on the island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

 awaiting orders to invade New York City (at the time limited to the southern part of Manhattan Island) via Long Island

Battle of Long Island

The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...

 by crossing the Narrows

The Narrows

The Narrows is the tidal strait separating the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City. It connects the Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay and forms the principal channel by which the Hudson River empties into the Atlantic Ocean...

. The general was known to have read the Declaration of Independence

United States Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...

 to his troops at this tavern. The building is gone but there is a stone marker at its site on the corner of New Dorp Lane

New Dorp Lane

New Dorp Lane is a northwest - southeast street in New York City in the neighborhood of New Dorp in Staten Island, New York. While it is not an especially long or wide avenue , the segment west of Hylan Boulevard is one of the densest, busiest commercial districts on the island, comparable to parts...

 and Richmond Road

Richmond Road

Richmond Road can refer to any of the following:* Richmond Road, Adelaide - a continuation of Greenhill Road, Adelaide, South Australia* Richmond Road * Richmond Road, Kentucky - An historic road name still used as the name for a segment of U.S...

.