Benjamin L. Carp describes the fierce information war that followed the fire as both sides vied for public and international opinion. Figures like Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris worked to protect the American reputation by insisting the fire was acci

Benjamin L. Carp describes the fierce information war that followed the fire as both sides vied for public and international opinion. Figures like Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris worked to protect the American reputation by insisting the fire was accidental. Conversely, the British used local newspapers to brand the rebels as arsonists and criminals. Curiously, formal correspondence between Generals Washington and Howe largely avoided the topic of the fire. This silence may reflect a "gentlemanly" code of the era, where neither commander wished to level such grave accusations without irrefutable proof, despite the ongoing propaganda battle. (6)
1776