Did you know that the British landing of 22,000 troops in Brooklyn in August 1776 was the largest sea invasion until D-Day? Or that the face-off along Flatbush was the largest and most fateful battle of the Revolution?

The site of the Continental Army’s line of defense at Battle Pass along the Flatbush Road during the Battle of Brooklyn on August 27, 1776 (Prospect Park)

It will be easy to get up to speed on this historic turning point this week by joining any of the activities happening in and around the key sites (Prospect Park, The Old Stone House, Green-Wood Cemetery, Fulton Ferry, and The Brooklyn Navy Yard) as Brooklyn hosts Battle Week 2012.

Yesterday was the vigorous, cross-country hike up to Battle Pass in Prospect Park to learn about the brave defense, and on to the grand finale at The Old Stone House to relive the historic battle with expert William Parry.  The good news is that Parry will be doing it all again on Tuesday, August 21. Don’t miss this or the rest of the schedule posted on the Stone House’s Battle Week calendar. Highlights:

August 22: You’ll have to decide between a canoe tour with the Gowanus Dredgers or a history lecture on our waterfront’s role in the battle at Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

August 23: The spectacular pub at the top of BLDG 92 at the Navy Yard hosts Battle of Brooklyn-inspired team trivia.

August 25: Witness a reenactment of how Glover’s Marblehead Regiment facilitated Washington’s undercover escape with our Army at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s pebble beach.

August 26:  Have a full day at the big battle site, Green-Wood Cemetery, with tours, parades, the Continental Army, horses, cannons, muskets, Hessians, Redcoats, and George Washington. (We’ve also heard that Ben Franklin could make an appearance, but shouldn’t he be concentrating on the U.S. Postal Service?)

The Old Stone House, where 400 brave Marylanders fought against 2,000 British, Hessians, and Cornwallis to delay their assault on the Continental Army, which escaped

August 27: The Battle on Bergen art performance by Proteus Gowanus at Smith & Bergen at their Liberty Pole.

August 29: A follow-up talk about Washington’s Retreat at Pier 1 of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

If you want to prepare, watch the video tour recorded by John Turturro, and check out the interactive map on the Old Stone House website.