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With Hamilton back in the discourse, I& #39;m reminded how few people know the story of Mary Lindley Murray (or "Mrs. Murray,") for whose family the Murray Hill neighborhood is named, and how she pretty much single-handedly kept the American Revolution alive.
Washington& #39;s arrival in Hamilton is the song "Right Hand Man," which condenses several key military conflicts in New York City into one quick narrative: The Battle of Brooklyn, the British landing at Kips Bay, the Continental flight north to Harlem. Kips Bay is the relevant one.
First of all, in 1776 there was an actual bay where today there& #39;s just a neighborhood; it was filled in, leveled, and paved in the late 1800s. In September 1776, shortly after Washington& #39;s force had been routed in Long Island (Brooklyn) the British landed there.
About 1/3 of the Continental Army was still south of what is now 34th Street. The British planned to spread across the island (Manhattan was less than two miles wide at that point) and would have captured that entire force--if not for Mrs. Murray.
Murray Hill is named for the Murray farm, see, and Robert Murray was an important figure in the Tory Party--but his wife was with the Revolution. When General Howe arrived with his forces, she invited him to their mansion, Inclenberg, for tea and cakes.
Owing to the Murray family& #39;s prestige and importance with the Tories, Howe was obliged to accept her invitation. He called a halt to the advance westward, and his force waited while Mrs. Murray served tea, wine, and cakes, drawing out the visit as long as she could.
Inclenberg was roughly around 33rd and Lexington; General Israel Putnam, who commanded the force south of 34th Street was leading a retreat up Broadway. Again, these are modern names--but if you know Manhattan you know how close that is.
Anyway, by the time General Howe finished at the Murray Farm and brought his troops west across Manhattan, most of the Continental Army under Israel& #39;s command had escaped. If not for Mrs. Murray, it& #39;s unlikely many--if any--would have made it past the British.
This story is somewhat apocryphal; details are disputed. But it& #39;s reliable enough that there& #39;s a plaque dedicated to Mary Lindley Murray at 33rd and Park. I love this story of a woman cleverly exercising what little power she had in 1776; but Mrs. Murray is rarely remembered.
TL;DR: The entire Revolution might very well have ended if not for one farmer& #39;s wife who invited General Howe in for a very long tea time, buying Continental Troops enough time to slip past the overwhelming British forces sent to capture them.
I would have loved for her to get some little nod in Hamilton; knowing @Lin_Manuel& #39;s historical nerdiness and deep love of NYC, I wouldn& #39;t be surprised if she was in some draft lyric that didn& #39;t make the final cut--like my favorite "founding father," Ben Franklin.
I also love this, btw, because it shows how you don& #39;t always win a war with "guns and ships." Sometimes you can help win a war, all by yourself, by inviting someone in for tea.
