The British had captured General John Sullivan during the battle.

Admiral Howe had persuaded him to deliver a message to Congress in Philadelphia, and released him on parole.

Washington also had given his permission, and on September 2 Sullivan had told the Congress that the Howes want to negotiate, and have been given much broader powers to treat than those they actually hold.

This creates a diplomatic problem for Congress, which does not want to be seen as aggressive, as some representatives feel a direct rejection of the appeal would appear.

As a consequence, Congress had agreed to send a committee to meet with the Howes in a move they did not believe would bear any fruit.

On September 11, the Howe brothers meet with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Edward Rutledge in the Staten Island Peace Conference.

It has exactly the outcome the Americans had expected.