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What are five historical facts about the fire and its aftermath in Chains?
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The Great Fire of 1776 in New York City began in a tavern near White Hall Slip and destroyed 493 buildings, about a third of the city, shortly after British forces took control. There were minimal firefighting efforts due to sabotaged equipment, leading to British accusations against revolutionaries, resulting in over 200 arrests and some executions. The cause remains unknown, though rumors suggested General Washington's involvement, which he denied.
The fire described in the novel occurred in September 1776; it has become known as the Great Fire of 1776. It apparently began in a wooden building, a tavern near the White Hall Slip.
Only six days earlier, the British forces had successfully invaded New York City. The fire spread rapidly through the night, destroying 493 buildings. There were little to no firefighting efforts, and the destruction encompassed about a third of the city. The British soldiers who did try to extinguish it realized that saboteurs had damaged their equipment. They were quick to place the blame on the revolutionaries. Word spread, and the British took the opportunity to arrest 200 or more patriots and even executed some of them.
At the time, word also spread that General Washington had ordered the fire set, as he had discussed the idea with his troops, to keep the city's resources from the...
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British if they won the battle. That strategy was rejected, however, and the fire's true cause was never discovered.
References
The fire that the question is asking about is the fire that burns down Lady Seymour's house. Isabel rescues Lady Seymour and a few of her valued possessions from the fire. That particular New York City fire is an actual historical event. Here are the five things I learned about the fire from this book:
- I learned there was an actual real fire that ravaged a large part of New York. Until reading this book, I only knew about "The Great Chicago Fire."
- The fire happened in 1776.
- It burned about 500 buildings.
- It burned nearly one quarter of the housing that existed in New York at the time.
- "Canvastown" was the name for the burned remains of the city because of the hovels hastily constructed over the burned-out cellars.
- Nobody knows who or what caused the fire.
One last interesting detail about the fire: the World Trade Center Towers were built over portions of New York that burned in 1776. St. Paul's Chapel is located in that area as well. That chapel has survived both the fire and the September 11 attacks.