The Battle of the Tappan Zee unfolded on the night of August 16–17, 1776. Patriot fireships attack HMS Phoenix and HMS Rose in an eighteenth-century engraving. Residents along the western shore of the Tappan Zee were awakened during the night by cannon fire as one of the American Revolution’s earliest naval battles erupted on the Hudson River. Looking across the water, families watched Patriot fireships drift toward two British warships while flashes of cannon fire illuminated the night sky. For nearly two hours, Patriot boats battled Royal Navy warships in a desperate attempt to drive away the British squadron. Today,...