September 1777 wasn’t kind to General George Washington’s Continental Army. The British took the upper hand in a series of battles around Philadelphia, including the Battle of Brandywine, which allowed British General Howe to take over Philadelphia. This was the only time that our capital city was taken over by a foreign power. General Howe placed two brigades under General James Grant and a division of Hessian troops commanded by General Wilhelm von Kynphausen in Germantown. The total number of troops was about 9,000.
George Washington, commanding an army of 8,000 Continentals and 3,000 militiamen, saw an opportunity. He decided to use a double envelopment to attack and destroy the enemy detachment at Germantown.
George Washington, seeing what Howe did, thought that if he could take on the British troops at Germantown, he could deliver a surprise knockout punch that could change the tide of the war. The attack would take place overnight, similar to what occurred in his victory at Trenton.
Washington developed a rather complex plan that would involve four separate columns to converge on Germantown. Two flanking columns were composed of 3,000 militia while the center-left under Nathanial Greene, the center-right under John Sullivan, and the reserve under Lord Sterling were made up of regular troops.
In one of the many Revolutionary War battles fought around Philadelphia, General George Washington’s forces took on the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania, on October 4, 1777. However, a thick fog rolled in, and it was a factor in the outcome.
Prelude To Battle
On the evening of October 3rd, the Continental Army began a 16-mile march toward Germantown with a force of 11,000 men. Washington’s soldiers were told to put a piece of white paper in their hats so they could tell the difference between friend and foe.
In an article in sandcastles.net the military journal of Lt. George Ewing, who fought in the Battle of Germantown was published. Here is his entry on page 23.
In the darkness, the troops didn’t make the expected progress that was expected. As dawn approached on the cool morning of October 4th, a dense fog began to roll in.
One of the four attacking columns of soldiers held back and started a fire in an attempt to deceive the British. The other three marched down various roads into town.
Just after dawn, the column under General Sullivan opened fire on the British. General Howe first thought that the attack was from small parties. Things were looking up as Sullivan’s men drove the British back to Germantown.
The British were able to barricade a large house (Chew House) as a refuge and a base of operation. General Stephen continued to order his men to attack the house even though they were driven back and were suffering extreme casualties.
Things began to go awry for the Americans as the fog thickened and stayed persistent. The fog, combined with smoke, made it difficult to see. In these situations, it almost always favors the defenders rather than the attackers.
A column directed by Nathaniel Greene moved down Limekiln Road, and they were able to fight off British resistance. The combination of fog and smoke quickly moved the brigade into a state of confusion. One of Greene’s brigades led by General Stephen went the wrong way and didn’t meet up with the rest of Greene’s troops. They encountered another brigade who they mistook for the British and they began to fire on them. Two American brigades ended up attacking each other before both retreated. This retreat left another brigade exposed and easier for the British to attack.
General Washington, unaware of the overall confusion and lack of communication in the fog, kept on the attack and was beaten back by British and Hessian troops. Washington finally ordered a retreat. General Howe ordered pursuit and that chased the Americas for 9 miles before calling the chase off as darkness approached.
If you read enough about the Revolutionary War, you will notice that not following up on battle victories and letting the Americans get away to fight another day was common for the British, and General Howe in particular.
A map of the Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777. Map Credit – Wikipedia – Public Domain.
Aftermath
Of Washington’s total army of 11,000, 152 were killed 527 were wounded and 438 were captured. On the British side, 71 were killed, 448 were wounded and 14 were missing.
After review, a combination of factors was blamed for the American’s defeat. Washington resigned himself to the fact that his troops were too inexperienced and poorly trained to execute a complex plan. The fog and smoke were also a contributing factor that led to mass confusion and Americans firing on their own soldiers. General Stephen’s poor decision-making was also a factor. It was later determined that he was intoxicated and he was later court-martialed and released from the military.
All was not lost, however, many Europans, especially the French were impressed by the American’s tenacity against the British. Comte de Vergennes, a high-level French diplomat who had enormous influence within the French government was impressed by the Continental Army at Battle of Germantown despite the defeat.
The French decided to heavily support the Americans. This included naval power to thwart the movement of British ships along the coasts. This took away a major advantage that the British had enjoyed. French military advisors, such as Lafayette helped with the training of soldiers bringing higher professional standards to field commands.
A photo showing a historical marker denoting the Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777. Photo Credit-William Fischer Jr.-hmdb.com
Today, a historical marker denotes the Battle of Germantown (see above).
