History of New York City (1665–1783) History of New York City (1665–1783) The history of New York City (1665–1783) began with the establishment of English rule over Dutch New Amsterdam and New Netherland. As the newly renamed City of New York and surrounding areas developed, there was a growing independent feeling among some, but the area was decidedly split in its loyalties. The site of modern New York City was the theater of the New York Campaign, a series of major battles in the early American Revolutionary War. After that, the city was under British occupation until the end of the war and was the last
Kenneth Martin Willett Kenneth Martin Willett Lt. Kenneth Martin Willett (April 9, 1919 – September 27, 1942) was an American naval reserve officer who died in during World War II in the South Atlantic Ocean. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. Willett enlisted in the Naval Reserve as an apprentice seaman on July 9, 1940. Appointed to the Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School, he was commissioned as an Ensign and assigned to the USS California (BB-44), where he served until November 1941. He then reported to the 12th Naval District for duty at the Armed Guard Center, San Francisco, California, in January 1942.