The Fortification of New York City

General Charles Lee arrived in February of this year.  He recognized that Manhattan, surrounded by navigable water, would be next to impossible to hold against a combined land and naval force, but like Bunker Hill s high price could be exacted for the taking of it.  He told Congress, "the whole island is to be redoubted...quite to King's Bridge".  It is this bridge which connects Manhattan to the mainland.
With a characteristic disregard, he put every man jack of the 1700 soldiers then at his disposal digging trenches, cutting down trees, so that when the troops from Boston arrived, the streets were fair torn up with earthworks and barricades. 
He regarded Brooklyn Heights much as Dorchester Heights to provide commanding artillery positions overlooking the East River. 
In early March, Lee was ordered south to Williamsburg, leaving unpaid personal bills behind him in New York City, where the hostelry of the city does not think well of him.  When a British fleet was sighted off Cape Fear, Lee mustered 1300 Virginia troops joined by 700 North Carolinians and marched to Charleston, to defend South Carolina.  
He was replaced by William Alexander, Lord Stirling as he was called, though his claim to Lordship was questioned by everyone but himself.  When a deserter being led to the gallows cried out, "Lord have mercy", Stirling replied, "you rascal, I won't have mercy on you."
He turned out every citizen, in shifts, to work on the fortifications.
He was relieved by Israel Putnam, who added fortifications to Governor's Island and Red Hook opposite it on Long Island.  Washington himself is also building the fortifications of Fort Washington and Fort Independence on the northern end of Manhattan and Fort Lee opposite on the shores of New Jersey. 
One sort of "fortification" not to be allowed the Continental Army is liquor, by express order of General Washington:
"If any soldier of the army shall be found disguised with liquor, as has been too much the practice heretofore, the General is determined to have him punished with the utmost severity, as no soldier in such situation can be either fit for defense or attack.  The General orders that no sutler in the army shall sell to any soldier more than one half pint of spirit per day."