Redcoats and Petticoats Author:Katherine Kirkpatrick, ill. by Ronald Himler Redcoats and Petticoats is based on a true story of the people of Setauket, a little town on the north shore of Long Island, about sixty miles east of New York City. The British took the colony of New York early in the war in 1776. British soldiers, known as "Redcoats", remained encamped on Long Island for seven years. — The Setauket Spy Ring b... more »egan in 1778 and operated for six years. The spies were never found out by the British soldiers. Here is one story...« less