fbpx
Wikipedia

Battle of Germantown

Battle of Germantown
Part of the American Revolutionary War

American forces lay siege to the Chew House during the Battle of Germantown.
DateOctober 4, 1777
Location40°01′26″N 75°09′35″W / 40.0238°N 75.1597°W / 40.0238; -75.1597
Result British victory[1]
Belligerents

 Great Britain

 United States

Commanders and leaders
William Howe
Charles Cornwallis
Wilhelm Knyphausen
George Washington
Nathanael Greene
John Sullivan
Anthony Wayne
William Alexander
William Smallwood
Moses Hazen
Strength
9,000[2] 11,000[3]
Casualties and losses
71 killed
448 wounded
14 missing[4]
152 killed[5]
521 wounded[5]
438 captured

The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Continental Army under George Washington.

After defeating the Continental Army at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, and the Battle of Paoli on September 20, Howe outmaneuvered Washington, seizing Philadelphia, the capital of the United States, on September 26. Howe left a garrison of some 3,000 troops in Philadelphia, while moving the bulk of his force to Germantown, then an outlying community to the city. Learning of the division, Washington determined to engage the British. His plan called for four separate columns to converge on the British position at Germantown. The two flanking columns were composed of 3,000 militia, while the center-left, under Nathanael Greene, the center-right under John Sullivan, and the reserve under Lord Stirling were made up of regular troops. The ambition behind the plan was to surprise and destroy the British force, much in the same way as Washington had surprised and decisively defeated the Hessians at Trenton. In Germantown, Howe had his light infantry and the 40th Foot spread across his front as pickets. In the main camp, Wilhelm von Knyphausen commanded the British left, while Howe himself personally led the British right.

A heavy fog caused a great deal of confusion among the approaching Americans. After a sharp contest, Sullivan's column routed the British pickets. Unseen in the fog, around 120 men of the British 40th Foot barricaded the Chew House. When the American reserve moved forward, Washington made the decision to launch repeated assaults on the position, all of which failed with heavy casualties. Penetrating several hundred yards beyond the mansion, Sullivan's wing became dispirited, running low on ammunition and hearing cannon fire behind them. As they withdrew, Anthony Wayne's division collided with part of Greene's late-arriving wing in the fog. Mistaking each other for the enemy, they opened fire, and both units retreated. Meanwhile, Greene's left-center column threw back the British right. With Sullivan's column repulsed, the British left outflanked Greene's column. The two militia columns had only succeeded in diverting the attention of the British, and had made no progress before they withdrew.

Despite the defeat, France, already impressed by the American success at Saratoga, decided to lend greater aid to the Americans. Howe did not vigorously pursue the defeated Americans, instead turning his attention to clearing the Delaware River of obstacles at Red Bank and Fort Mifflin. After unsuccessfully attempting to draw Washington into combat at White Marsh, Howe withdrew to Philadelphia. Washington, his army intact, withdrew to Valley Forge, where he wintered and re-trained his forces.

Background

The Philadelphia campaign had begun badly for the Americans. Washington's Continental Army suffered a string of defeats at Cooch's Bridge,[6] Brandywine,[7] and Paoli. After inflicting a stinging defeat on Anthony Wayne's division at Paoli on September 20,[8] the British army marched north to Valley Forge then west to the French Creek bridge.[9] At this point, Howe's right wing faced Fatland Ford on the Schuylkill River near Valley Forge while the left wing was opposite Gordon's Ford at French Creek and the left center faced Richardson's Ford. The American army defended all these Schuylkill crossings, plus one farther downstream at Swede's Ford[10] near Norristown.[11] On September 22, a small British force under Sir William Erskine feinted north and another force mounted a demonstration at Gordon's Ford.[12] Howe's moves convinced Washington that the British commander was trying to seize his supply base at Reading and turn his right flank. Washington moved north, but in the night of September 22–23, the British army reversed direction.[13] They crossed the Schuylkill at Fatland and Richardson's Fords without opposition, and after a brief rest, headed downstream toward Swede's Ford where the American militia abandoned three cannons.[12]

Charles Cornwallis subsequently seized Philadelphia for the British on September 26, dealing a blow to the revolutionary cause. Howe left a garrison of 3,462 men to defend the city, moving the bulk of his force north, some 9,728 men, to the outlying community of Germantown.[2] With the campaigning season drawing to a close, Howe determined to locate and destroy the main American army. Howe established his headquarters at the Stenton Mansion, the former country home of James Logan.

Despite having suffered successive defeats, Washington saw an opportunity to entrap and decisively defeat the divided British army. He resolved to attack the Germantown garrison, as the last effort of the year before entering winter quarters. His plan called for a complex, ambitious assault; four columns of troops were to assail the British garrison from different directions, at night, with the goal of creating a double-envelopment. Washington's hope was that the British would be surprised and overwhelmed much how the Hessians were at Trenton.

British positions

Germantown was a hamlet of stone houses, spreading from what is now known as Mount Airy on the north, to what is now Market Square in the south.[14] Extending southwest from Market Square was Schoolhouse Lane, running 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the point where Wissahickon Creek emptied from a steep gorge, into the Schuylkill River. Howe had established his main camp along the high ground of Schoolhouse and Church lanes. The western wing of the camp, under the command of Hessian general Wilhelm von Knyphausen, had a picket of two Jäger battalions, positioned on the high ground above the mouth of the Wissahickon to the far left. A brigade of Hessians, and two brigades of British regulars camped along Market Square. East of the Square, two British brigades under the command of General James Grant had encamped, with two squadrons of dragoons, and the 1st battalion of Light Infantry. The Queen's Rangers, a unit of loyalist Americans recruited from New York, covered the right flank.

American advance

 
Battle marker at the Lutheran Seminary on Germantown Ave

After dusk on October 3, the American force began the 16 miles (26 km) march southward toward Germantown in complete darkness. To differentiate friend from foe in the darkness, the troops were instructed to put a piece of white paper in their hats to mark them out.[15] The Americans remained undetected by the Jäger pickets, and the main British camp was, subsequently, unaware of the American advance. For the Americans, it seemed their attempt to repeat their victory at Trenton was on the road to success. However, the darkness made communications between the American columns extremely difficult, and progress was far slower than expected. At dawn, most of the American forces had fallen too short of their intended positions, losing the element of surprise they otherwise enjoyed.

The Pennsylvania Militia, led by Brigadier General John Armstrong Sr., advanced down the Manatawny Road (Ridge Avenue) to the confluence of the Wissahickon Creek and Schuylkill River. There on the cliffs opposite General Knyphausen's Hessian encampment, the militia set up their artillery and began a desultory fire until withdrawing back up the Manatawny road. Armstrong's Brigade played no further part in the battle. The three remaining American columns continued their advance. One column, under the command of General John Sullivan moved down Germantown Road. A column of New Jersey militia under Brigadier General William Smallwood moved down Skippack Road to Whitemarsh Church Road, and from there to Old York Road to attack the British right. General Nathanael Greene's column, consisting of Greene's, General Adam Stephen's divisions and General Alexander McDougall's brigade, moved down Limekiln Road.

Battle

 
Map of the Battle of Germantown, October 4, 1777
  British, Hessian and Loyalist forces
  Continental Army and Militia forces

A thick fog[16] clouded the battlefield throughout the day, greatly hampering coordination. The vanguard of Sullivan's column, upon Germantown Road, opened fire upon the British pickets on Mount Airy, just after sunrise at 05:00. The British pickets fired their cannon in alarm, and resisted the American advance. Howe rode forward, thinking they were being attacked by foraging or skirmishing parties, and ordered his men to hold their ground. It took a substantial part of Sullivan's division to finally overwhelm the British pickets, and drive them back into Germantown.

Howe, still believing his men were facing only light opposition, called out; "For shame, Light Infantry! I never saw you retreat before! Form! Form! It is only a scouting party!" Just then, three American guns came into action, opening fire with grapeshot. Howe and his staff quickly withdrew out of range. Several British officers were shocked to see their own soldiers rapidly falling back before the enemy attack. One British officer later described the number of attacking Americans as "overwhelming".[17]

Cut off from the main force, Colonel Musgrave, of the British 40th Regiment of Foot, ordered his six companies of troops, around 120 men, to barricade and fortify the stone house of Pennsylvania Chief Justice Benjamin Chew, called Cliveden. The American troops launched a determined assault against Cliveden; however, the outnumbered defenders repulsed their attempts, inflicting heavy casualties. Washington called a council of war to decide how to deal with the fortification. Some of his subordinates favoured bypassing Clivden entirely, leaving a regiment behind to besiege it. However, Washington's artillery commander, Brigadier General Henry Knox, advised it was unwise to allow a fortified garrison to remain under enemy control in the rear of a forward advance. Washington concurred.

General William Maxwell's brigade, which had been held in reserve, was brought forward to storm Cliveden, partially led by a volunteer aide from General Washington's own staff, Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, who had been shot through his right and therefore dominant shoulder earlier in the battle; he had continued to fight with his aide riband wrapped around his arm and his sword in his left and non-dominant hand. Knox positioned four 3-pound cannon out of musket range to bombard the mansion. However, the thick walls of Cliveden withstood the bombardment from the light field guns. The Americans launched a second wave of infantry assaults, all of which were repulsed with heavy losses. The few Americans who managed to get inside the mansion were shot or bayoneted. It was becoming clear to the Americans that Cliveden was not going to be taken easily. Among this assault was Lieutenant John Marshall of the Virginia Line, the future Chief Justice of the United States, who was wounded during the attack.

Before completely disregarding the notion of taking Cliveden, Laurens was offered the idea of burning or smoking the British out of the house. He took the idea and, according Gregory Massey's biography, he sent men to gather firewood to pile at the door. Once enough had gathered, Laurens and Marshall began to command the attack of charging to the front steps, dropping the firewood, and in groups, rushing to set fire to the wood. Laurens himself was sent forward with a torch with his companion, Major John White. The fire did not catch. While on the front steps of Cliveden, however, Laurens was under a barrage of gunfire and supposedly wounded a second time by a bayonet in his left side. Major White was shot and later pronounced dead. Both men were forced from the door and the Chevalier de Mauduit convinced Laurens to cease his fighting before he later was moved to have a surgeon see to his wounds.

 
The Battle of Germantown, October 4, 1777
  British, Hessian and Loyalist forces
  Continental Army and Militia forces

Prior to Maxwell's futile attack against Cliveden, Sullivan's division advanced beyond in the fog. Sullivan deployed Brigadier General Thomas Conway's brigade to the right, and Brigadier General Anthony Wayne's brigade to the left before advancing on the British center-left.[18] The 1st and 2nd Maryland Brigades of Sullivan's column paused frequently to fire volleys into the fog. While the tactic was effective in suppressing enemy opposition, his troops rapidly ran low on ammunition. Wayne's brigade to the left of the road moved ahead, and became precariously separated from Sullivan's main line. As the Americans launched their attack on Cliveden, Wayne's brigade heard the disquieting racket from Knox's artillery pieces to their rear. To their right, the firing from Sullivan's men died down as the Marylanders ran low on ammunition. Wayne's men began to panic in their apparent isolation, and so he ordered them to fall back. Sullivan was subsequently forced back, although the regiments fought a stubborn rear-guard action. Since the British units pursuing them were redirected to fight Greene's column, Sullivan's men fell back in good order.[19]

 

Meanwhile, Nathanael Greene's column on Limekiln Road had finally caught up with the bulk of the Americans at Germantown. Greene's vanguard engaged the British pickets at Luken's Mill, driving them back after a savage skirmish. The fog that clung to the field was compounded by palls of smoke from the cannon and musket fire, throwing Greene's column into disarray and confusion. One of Greene's brigades, under Brigadier General Adam Stephen, veered off-course and began following Meetinghouse Road, instead of rendezvousing at Market Square with the rest of Greene's troops. The wayward brigade collided with Wayne's brigade, and mistook them for redcoats. The two American brigades opened fire on each other in the fog, causing both to flee. The withdrawal of Wayne's New Jersey Brigade, having suffered heavy losses attacking Cliveden, left Conway's right flank exposed.

To the north, an American column led by McDougall came under attack by the Loyalist troops of the Queen's Rangers, and the Guards of the British reserve. After a brutal contest, McDougall's brigade was forced to retreat, having suffered heavy losses. Despite the reversal in fortune, the Continentals were still convinced of a possible victory. The 9th Virginia Regiment of Greene's column launched a determined attack on the British lines as planned, managing to break through and capturing a number of prisoners. However, they were soon surrounded by two arriving British brigades under Cornwallis. Cornwallis then launched a counter-charge, cutting off the Virginians completely, forcing them to surrender. Greene, upon learning of the main army's defeat and withdrawal, realized he stood alone against Howe's entire army, and so withdrew.

The primary attacks on the British and Hessian camp had all been repulsed with heavy casualties. Washington ordered Armstrong and Smallwood's men to withdraw. Maxwell's brigade, still having failed to capture Cliveden, was forced to fall back. Howe ordered a pursuit, harrying the retreating Americans for some 9 miles (14 km), though he did not follow up on his victory. The pursuing British forces were finally forced to retire in the face of resistance from Greene's infantry, Wayne's artillery, and a detachment of dragoons, as well as the coming of the night.

On October 6, there was a brief cease-fire. A little terrier that was identified from its collar as belonging to General Howe was formally transferred from Washington's camp to Howe's under a flag of truce. The little terrier that had been found wandering on the battlefield was brought to Washington, who had the dog fed, cleaned and brushed before being returned to Howe.[20][21]

Casualties

 
Grave stone in Upper Burying Ground, Germantown Pennsylvania[22] of 3 officers and 6 unknown soldiers of Washington Army

Of the 11,000 men Washington led into battle, 30 officers and 122 men were killed, and 117 officers and 404 men were wounded.[23] According to a Hessian staff officer, some 438 had been taken prisoner by the British, including Colonel George Mathews and the entire 9th Virginia Regiment.[23][24] Brigadier General Francis Nash, whose North Carolina brigade covered the American retreat, had his left leg taken off by a cannonball, and died on October 8 at the home of Adam Gotwals. His body was interred with military honors on October 9 at the Mennonite Meetinghouse in Towamencin.[25] Major John White, who was shot at Cliveden, died on October 10.[26] Lieutenant-Colonel William Smith, who was wounded carrying the flag of truce to Cliveden, also died from his wounds.[26] In total, 57 Americans, over one-third of all those killed in the battle, died in the attack on Cliveden.[27]

British casualties in the battle were 71 killed, 448 wounded and 14 missing; only 24 of whom were Hessians.[4] British officers killed in action include Brigadier General James Agnew and Lieutenant-Colonel John Bird. Lieutenant-Colonel William Walcott of the 5th Regiment of Foot was mortally wounded, and later died.[28]

Wyck House served as a hospital during the battle.

Analysis

Washington's ambitious plan failed for several factors:

  • Washington mistakenly believed his troops were sufficiently trained and experienced to launch such a complicated, coordinated assault.[29]
  • Success of the plan required constant communication between the many columns of his army and precise timing. Communication was lackluster because of the night march, and it was further handicapped by the fog.
  • When the British 40th Foot put up stubborn resistance, Stephen disobeyed orders and attempted to assail the Chew House. All attempts were repulsed. Stephen was later court-martialed and cashiered from military service after evidence surfaced that he was intoxicated during the battle.[30]

Washington had intended for his attack to be a second Trenton. Had everything gone according to plan, Washington may have trapped and destroyed a second major British force. Coupled with Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga, the defeat of Howe at Germantown could have compelled Lord North and the British government to sue for peace.[31]

Aftermath

Designations
Official nameBattle of Germantown
TypeCity
CriteriaAmerican Revolution, George Washington, Military
DesignatedOctober 05, 1996[32]

The battle was a victory for the British, but the long-term strategic consequences favored the Americans. Howe had, once again, failed to follow up on his success and allowed Washington to escape with his army, leading to their encampment at Valley Forge.

The battle in particular made a strong impression upon the French court that the Americans would prove worthy allies. Sir George Otto Trevelyan, in Volume IV of his History of the American Revolution, concluded that although the battle had unquestionably been a defeat for the Americans, it was of "great and enduring service to the American cause". In particular, the engagement persuaded the Comte de Vergennes to vouch for the United States against Britain.[33] He continues:

That the battle had been fought unsuccessfully was of small importance when weighed against the fact that it been fought at all. Eminent generals, and statesmen of sagacity, in every European Court were profoundly impressed by learning that a new army, raised within the year, and undaunted by a series of recent disasters, had assailed a victorious enemy in his own quarters, and had only been repulsed after a sharp and dubious conflict.

John Fiske, in The American Revolution (1891), wrote:[31]

...The genius and audacity shown by Washington, in thus planning and so nearly accomplishing the ruin of the British army only three weeks after the defeat at the Brandywine, produced a profound impression upon military critics in Europe. Frederick of Prussia saw that presently, when American soldiers should come to be disciplined veterans, they would become a very formidable instrument in the hands of their great commander; and the French court, in making up its mind that the Americans would prove efficient allies, is said to have been influenced almost as much by the battle of Germantown as by the surrender of Burgoyne.

Eight Army National Guard units (103rd Eng Bn,[34] A/1-104th Cav,[35] 109th FA,[36] 111th Inf,[37] 113th Inf,[38] 116th Inf,[39] 175th Inf[40] and 198th Sig Bn[41]) and one active Regular Army Field Artillery battalion (1-5th FA)[42] are derived from American units that participated in the Battle of Germantown. There are only thirty currently existing units in the U.S. Army with lineages that go back to the colonial era.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ward, p. 371. "...unquestionably a defeat for the Americans..."
  2. ^ a b Ward, p. 362.
  3. ^ Ward, p. 362. "Washington informed Congress on September 28 that he had 8,000 Continentals and 3,000 militia at Pennypacker's Mill"
  4. ^ a b McGuire, p. 128.
  5. ^ a b Ward, p. 371.
  6. ^ Boatner 1994, p. 283.
  7. ^ Boatner 1994, pp. 104–110.
  8. ^ Boatner 1994, pp. 828–829.
  9. ^ McGuire 2006, p. 318.
  10. ^ McGuire 2006, pp. 319–320.
  11. ^ Boatner 1994, p. 859.
  12. ^ a b McGuire 2006, pp. 321–322.
  13. ^ Boatner 1994, p. 860.
  14. ^ Trussell, p. 1.
  15. ^ Ward, p. 364.
  16. ^ "Battle of Germantown | Summary". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  17. ^ Johnson, 67-68
  18. ^ Esposito, map 7
  19. ^ Johnson, 67-69
  20. ^ Stanley Coren (2 January 2009). "George Washington: President, General and Dog Breeder". Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  21. ^ "Letter from George Washington to General William Howe, 6 October 1777". Founders Online. National Archives. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  22. ^ Jenkins, Charles Francis; Site and Relic Society of Germantown (Philadelphia, Pa ) (17 September 2017). "The guide book to historic Germantown". Germantown – via Internet Archive.
  23. ^ a b Jenkins, p. 142.
  24. ^ McGuire, p. 127.
  25. ^ McGuire, p. 133.
  26. ^ a b McGuire, p. 134.
  27. ^ Ward, p. 371. "53 Americans lay dead on its lawn, 4 on its very doorsteps."
  28. ^ Katcher, pp. 31 and 35
  29. ^ "Battle of Germantown - Summary".
  30. ^ McGuire, p. 177.
  31. ^ a b Fiske, p. 332
  32. ^ "Pennsylvania Historical Marker Search". PHMC. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  33. ^ Trevelyan, p. 249.
  34. ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 103rd Engineer Battalion.
  35. ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, Troop A/1st Squadron/104th Cavalry.
  36. ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 109th Field Artillery.
  37. ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 111th Infantry. Reproduced in Sawicki 1981. pp.217–219.
  38. ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 113th Infantry. Reproduced in Sawicki 1981, pp. 221–223.
  39. ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 116th Infantry. Reproduced in Sawicki 1981, pp. 227–229.
  40. ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 175th Infantry. Reproduced in Sawicki 1982, pp. 343–345.
  41. ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 198th Signal Battalion.
  42. ^ "1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment". www.history.army.mil.

References

  • Boatner, Mark M. III (1994). Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0578-1.
  • Esposito, Vincent J. The West Point Atlas of American Wars. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Praeger Publishers, 1978. ISBN 0-275-20080-9
  • Fiske, John. The American Revolution: In Two Volumes, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1892.
  • Jenkins, Charles F. The Guide Book to Historic Germantown, Innes & Sons, 1904.
  • Johnson, Curt. Battles of the American Revolution. London: Rand McNally & Co., 1975. ISBN 0-528-81022-7
  • Katcher, Philip R. N. King George's Army 1775–1783: A Handbook of British, American and German Regiments; Osprey, Reading, Berkshire; 1973; ISBN 0-85045-157-4.
  • Massey, Gregory D. John Laurens and the American Revolution. ISBN 978-1-57003-330-8.
  • McGuire, Thomas J. (2006). The Philadelphia Campaign, Volume I: Bradywine and the Fall of Philadelphia. Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0178-5.
  • McGuire, Thomas J. (2007). The Philadelphia Campaign, Volume II: Germantown and the Roads to Valley Forge. Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0206-5.
  • Sawicki, James A. Infantry Regiments of the US Army. Dumfries, VA: Wyvern Publications, 1981. ISBN 978-0-9602404-3-2.
  • Trevelyan, George Otto. The American Revolution, Longmans, Green & Co., 1912.
  • Trussell Jr., John B.B. , Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1974.
  • Ward, Christopher. The War of the Revolution, Volume 1, The Macmillan Company, 1952.
  • Part II Vol II - Watson's Annals of Philadelphia And Pennsylvania, 1857

Further reading

  • Watson's Annals of Philadelphia And Pennsylvania, 1857.
  • History of Early Chestnut Hill, by John J. MacFarlane, A.M. (Philadelphia, City History, Society of Philadelphia, 1927) Chapter IX Revolutionary and Other Military Events, p. 79.

External links

battle, germantown, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, october. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Battle of Germantown news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Battle of GermantownPart of the American Revolutionary WarAmerican forces lay siege to the Chew House during the Battle of Germantown DateOctober 4 1777LocationGermantown Pennsylvania40 01 26 N 75 09 35 W 40 0238 N 75 1597 W 40 0238 75 1597ResultBritish victory 1 Belligerents Great Britain Hesse Kassel United States Canadian auxiliariesCommanders and leadersWilliam Howe Charles Cornwallis Wilhelm KnyphausenGeorge Washington Nathanael Greene John Sullivan Anthony Wayne William Alexander William Smallwood Moses HazenStrength9 000 2 11 000 3 Casualties and losses71 killed 448 wounded 14 missing 4 152 killed 5 521 wounded 5 438 captured The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War It was fought on October 4 1777 at Germantown Pennsylvania between the British Army led by Sir William Howe and the American Continental Army under George Washington After defeating the Continental Army at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11 and the Battle of Paoli on September 20 Howe outmaneuvered Washington seizing Philadelphia the capital of the United States on September 26 Howe left a garrison of some 3 000 troops in Philadelphia while moving the bulk of his force to Germantown then an outlying community to the city Learning of the division Washington determined to engage the British His plan called for four separate columns to converge on the British position at Germantown The two flanking columns were composed of 3 000 militia while the center left under Nathanael Greene the center right under John Sullivan and the reserve under Lord Stirling were made up of regular troops The ambition behind the plan was to surprise and destroy the British force much in the same way as Washington had surprised and decisively defeated the Hessians at Trenton In Germantown Howe had his light infantry and the 40th Foot spread across his front as pickets In the main camp Wilhelm von Knyphausen commanded the British left while Howe himself personally led the British right A heavy fog caused a great deal of confusion among the approaching Americans After a sharp contest Sullivan s column routed the British pickets Unseen in the fog around 120 men of the British 40th Foot barricaded the Chew House When the American reserve moved forward Washington made the decision to launch repeated assaults on the position all of which failed with heavy casualties Penetrating several hundred yards beyond the mansion Sullivan s wing became dispirited running low on ammunition and hearing cannon fire behind them As they withdrew Anthony Wayne s division collided with part of Greene s late arriving wing in the fog Mistaking each other for the enemy they opened fire and both units retreated Meanwhile Greene s left center column threw back the British right With Sullivan s column repulsed the British left outflanked Greene s column The two militia columns had only succeeded in diverting the attention of the British and had made no progress before they withdrew Despite the defeat France already impressed by the American success at Saratoga decided to lend greater aid to the Americans Howe did not vigorously pursue the defeated Americans instead turning his attention to clearing the Delaware River of obstacles at Red Bank and Fort Mifflin After unsuccessfully attempting to draw Washington into combat at White Marsh Howe withdrew to Philadelphia Washington his army intact withdrew to Valley Forge where he wintered and re trained his forces Contents 1 Background 1 1 British positions 1 2 American advance 2 Battle 3 Casualties 4 Analysis 5 Aftermath 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksBackground EditThe Philadelphia campaign had begun badly for the Americans Washington s Continental Army suffered a string of defeats at Cooch s Bridge 6 Brandywine 7 and Paoli After inflicting a stinging defeat on Anthony Wayne s division at Paoli on September 20 8 the British army marched north to Valley Forge then west to the French Creek bridge 9 At this point Howe s right wing faced Fatland Ford on the Schuylkill River near Valley Forge while the left wing was opposite Gordon s Ford at French Creek and the left center faced Richardson s Ford The American army defended all these Schuylkill crossings plus one farther downstream at Swede s Ford 10 near Norristown 11 On September 22 a small British force under Sir William Erskine feinted north and another force mounted a demonstration at Gordon s Ford 12 Howe s moves convinced Washington that the British commander was trying to seize his supply base at Reading and turn his right flank Washington moved north but in the night of September 22 23 the British army reversed direction 13 They crossed the Schuylkill at Fatland and Richardson s Fords without opposition and after a brief rest headed downstream toward Swede s Ford where the American militia abandoned three cannons 12 Charles Cornwallis subsequently seized Philadelphia for the British on September 26 dealing a blow to the revolutionary cause Howe left a garrison of 3 462 men to defend the city moving the bulk of his force north some 9 728 men to the outlying community of Germantown 2 With the campaigning season drawing to a close Howe determined to locate and destroy the main American army Howe established his headquarters at the Stenton Mansion the former country home of James Logan Despite having suffered successive defeats Washington saw an opportunity to entrap and decisively defeat the divided British army He resolved to attack the Germantown garrison as the last effort of the year before entering winter quarters His plan called for a complex ambitious assault four columns of troops were to assail the British garrison from different directions at night with the goal of creating a double envelopment Washington s hope was that the British would be surprised and overwhelmed much how the Hessians were at Trenton British positions Edit Germantown was a hamlet of stone houses spreading from what is now known as Mount Airy on the north to what is now Market Square in the south 14 Extending southwest from Market Square was Schoolhouse Lane running 1 5 miles 2 4 km to the point where Wissahickon Creek emptied from a steep gorge into the Schuylkill River Howe had established his main camp along the high ground of Schoolhouse and Church lanes The western wing of the camp under the command of Hessian general Wilhelm von Knyphausen had a picket of two Jager battalions positioned on the high ground above the mouth of the Wissahickon to the far left A brigade of Hessians and two brigades of British regulars camped along Market Square East of the Square two British brigades under the command of General James Grant had encamped with two squadrons of dragoons and the 1st battalion of Light Infantry The Queen s Rangers a unit of loyalist Americans recruited from New York covered the right flank American advance Edit Battle marker at the Lutheran Seminary on Germantown Ave After dusk on October 3 the American force began the 16 miles 26 km march southward toward Germantown in complete darkness To differentiate friend from foe in the darkness the troops were instructed to put a piece of white paper in their hats to mark them out 15 The Americans remained undetected by the Jager pickets and the main British camp was subsequently unaware of the American advance For the Americans it seemed their attempt to repeat their victory at Trenton was on the road to success However the darkness made communications between the American columns extremely difficult and progress was far slower than expected At dawn most of the American forces had fallen too short of their intended positions losing the element of surprise they otherwise enjoyed The Pennsylvania Militia led by Brigadier General John Armstrong Sr advanced down the Manatawny Road Ridge Avenue to the confluence of the Wissahickon Creek and Schuylkill River There on the cliffs opposite General Knyphausen s Hessian encampment the militia set up their artillery and began a desultory fire until withdrawing back up the Manatawny road Armstrong s Brigade played no further part in the battle The three remaining American columns continued their advance One column under the command of General John Sullivan moved down Germantown Road A column of New Jersey militia under Brigadier General William Smallwood moved down Skippack Road to Whitemarsh Church Road and from there to Old York Road to attack the British right General Nathanael Greene s column consisting of Greene s General Adam Stephen s divisions and General Alexander McDougall s brigade moved down Limekiln Road Battle EditSee Germantown Order of Battle for a detailed list of units and organizations of the British and American armies Map of the Battle of Germantown October 4 1777 British Hessian and Loyalist forces Continental Army and Militia forces A thick fog 16 clouded the battlefield throughout the day greatly hampering coordination The vanguard of Sullivan s column upon Germantown Road opened fire upon the British pickets on Mount Airy just after sunrise at 05 00 The British pickets fired their cannon in alarm and resisted the American advance Howe rode forward thinking they were being attacked by foraging or skirmishing parties and ordered his men to hold their ground It took a substantial part of Sullivan s division to finally overwhelm the British pickets and drive them back into Germantown Howe still believing his men were facing only light opposition called out For shame Light Infantry I never saw you retreat before Form Form It is only a scouting party Just then three American guns came into action opening fire with grapeshot Howe and his staff quickly withdrew out of range Several British officers were shocked to see their own soldiers rapidly falling back before the enemy attack One British officer later described the number of attacking Americans as overwhelming 17 Cut off from the main force Colonel Musgrave of the British 40th Regiment of Foot ordered his six companies of troops around 120 men to barricade and fortify the stone house of Pennsylvania Chief Justice Benjamin Chew called Cliveden The American troops launched a determined assault against Cliveden however the outnumbered defenders repulsed their attempts inflicting heavy casualties Washington called a council of war to decide how to deal with the fortification Some of his subordinates favoured bypassing Clivden entirely leaving a regiment behind to besiege it However Washington s artillery commander Brigadier General Henry Knox advised it was unwise to allow a fortified garrison to remain under enemy control in the rear of a forward advance Washington concurred General William Maxwell s brigade which had been held in reserve was brought forward to storm Cliveden partially led by a volunteer aide from General Washington s own staff Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens who had been shot through his right and therefore dominant shoulder earlier in the battle he had continued to fight with his aide riband wrapped around his arm and his sword in his left and non dominant hand Knox positioned four 3 pound cannon out of musket range to bombard the mansion However the thick walls of Cliveden withstood the bombardment from the light field guns The Americans launched a second wave of infantry assaults all of which were repulsed with heavy losses The few Americans who managed to get inside the mansion were shot or bayoneted It was becoming clear to the Americans that Cliveden was not going to be taken easily Among this assault was Lieutenant John Marshall of the Virginia Line the future Chief Justice of the United States who was wounded during the attack Before completely disregarding the notion of taking Cliveden Laurens was offered the idea of burning or smoking the British out of the house He took the idea and according Gregory Massey s biography he sent men to gather firewood to pile at the door Once enough had gathered Laurens and Marshall began to command the attack of charging to the front steps dropping the firewood and in groups rushing to set fire to the wood Laurens himself was sent forward with a torch with his companion Major John White The fire did not catch While on the front steps of Cliveden however Laurens was under a barrage of gunfire and supposedly wounded a second time by a bayonet in his left side Major White was shot and later pronounced dead Both men were forced from the door and the Chevalier de Mauduit convinced Laurens to cease his fighting before he later was moved to have a surgeon see to his wounds The Battle of Germantown October 4 1777 British Hessian and Loyalist forces Continental Army and Militia forces Prior to Maxwell s futile attack against Cliveden Sullivan s division advanced beyond in the fog Sullivan deployed Brigadier General Thomas Conway s brigade to the right and Brigadier General Anthony Wayne s brigade to the left before advancing on the British center left 18 The 1st and 2nd Maryland Brigades of Sullivan s column paused frequently to fire volleys into the fog While the tactic was effective in suppressing enemy opposition his troops rapidly ran low on ammunition Wayne s brigade to the left of the road moved ahead and became precariously separated from Sullivan s main line As the Americans launched their attack on Cliveden Wayne s brigade heard the disquieting racket from Knox s artillery pieces to their rear To their right the firing from Sullivan s men died down as the Marylanders ran low on ammunition Wayne s men began to panic in their apparent isolation and so he ordered them to fall back Sullivan was subsequently forced back although the regiments fought a stubborn rear guard action Since the British units pursuing them were redirected to fight Greene s column Sullivan s men fell back in good order 19 Cliveden is a National Historic Landmark Meanwhile Nathanael Greene s column on Limekiln Road had finally caught up with the bulk of the Americans at Germantown Greene s vanguard engaged the British pickets at Luken s Mill driving them back after a savage skirmish The fog that clung to the field was compounded by palls of smoke from the cannon and musket fire throwing Greene s column into disarray and confusion One of Greene s brigades under Brigadier General Adam Stephen veered off course and began following Meetinghouse Road instead of rendezvousing at Market Square with the rest of Greene s troops The wayward brigade collided with Wayne s brigade and mistook them for redcoats The two American brigades opened fire on each other in the fog causing both to flee The withdrawal of Wayne s New Jersey Brigade having suffered heavy losses attacking Cliveden left Conway s right flank exposed To the north an American column led by McDougall came under attack by the Loyalist troops of the Queen s Rangers and the Guards of the British reserve After a brutal contest McDougall s brigade was forced to retreat having suffered heavy losses Despite the reversal in fortune the Continentals were still convinced of a possible victory The 9th Virginia Regiment of Greene s column launched a determined attack on the British lines as planned managing to break through and capturing a number of prisoners However they were soon surrounded by two arriving British brigades under Cornwallis Cornwallis then launched a counter charge cutting off the Virginians completely forcing them to surrender Greene upon learning of the main army s defeat and withdrawal realized he stood alone against Howe s entire army and so withdrew The primary attacks on the British and Hessian camp had all been repulsed with heavy casualties Washington ordered Armstrong and Smallwood s men to withdraw Maxwell s brigade still having failed to capture Cliveden was forced to fall back Howe ordered a pursuit harrying the retreating Americans for some 9 miles 14 km though he did not follow up on his victory The pursuing British forces were finally forced to retire in the face of resistance from Greene s infantry Wayne s artillery and a detachment of dragoons as well as the coming of the night On October 6 there was a brief cease fire A little terrier that was identified from its collar as belonging to General Howe was formally transferred from Washington s camp to Howe s under a flag of truce The little terrier that had been found wandering on the battlefield was brought to Washington who had the dog fed cleaned and brushed before being returned to Howe 20 21 Casualties Edit Grave stone in Upper Burying Ground Germantown Pennsylvania 22 of 3 officers and 6 unknown soldiers of Washington Army Of the 11 000 men Washington led into battle 30 officers and 122 men were killed and 117 officers and 404 men were wounded 23 According to a Hessian staff officer some 438 had been taken prisoner by the British including Colonel George Mathews and the entire 9th Virginia Regiment 23 24 Brigadier General Francis Nash whose North Carolina brigade covered the American retreat had his left leg taken off by a cannonball and died on October 8 at the home of Adam Gotwals His body was interred with military honors on October 9 at the Mennonite Meetinghouse in Towamencin 25 Major John White who was shot at Cliveden died on October 10 26 Lieutenant Colonel William Smith who was wounded carrying the flag of truce to Cliveden also died from his wounds 26 In total 57 Americans over one third of all those killed in the battle died in the attack on Cliveden 27 British casualties in the battle were 71 killed 448 wounded and 14 missing only 24 of whom were Hessians 4 British officers killed in action include Brigadier General James Agnew and Lieutenant Colonel John Bird Lieutenant Colonel William Walcott of the 5th Regiment of Foot was mortally wounded and later died 28 Wyck House served as a hospital during the battle Analysis EditWashington s ambitious plan failed for several factors Washington mistakenly believed his troops were sufficiently trained and experienced to launch such a complicated coordinated assault 29 Success of the plan required constant communication between the many columns of his army and precise timing Communication was lackluster because of the night march and it was further handicapped by the fog When the British 40th Foot put up stubborn resistance Stephen disobeyed orders and attempted to assail the Chew House All attempts were repulsed Stephen was later court martialed and cashiered from military service after evidence surfaced that he was intoxicated during the battle 30 Washington had intended for his attack to be a second Trenton Had everything gone according to plan Washington may have trapped and destroyed a second major British force Coupled with Burgoyne s defeat at Saratoga the defeat of Howe at Germantown could have compelled Lord North and the British government to sue for peace 31 Aftermath EditDesignationsPennsylvania Historical MarkerOfficial nameBattle of GermantownTypeCityCriteriaAmerican Revolution George Washington MilitaryDesignatedOctober 05 1996 32 The battle was a victory for the British but the long term strategic consequences favored the Americans Howe had once again failed to follow up on his success and allowed Washington to escape with his army leading to their encampment at Valley Forge The battle in particular made a strong impression upon the French court that the Americans would prove worthy allies Sir George Otto Trevelyan in Volume IV of his History of the American Revolution concluded that although the battle had unquestionably been a defeat for the Americans it was of great and enduring service to the American cause In particular the engagement persuaded the Comte de Vergennes to vouch for the United States against Britain 33 He continues That the battle had been fought unsuccessfully was of small importance when weighed against the fact that it been fought at all Eminent generals and statesmen of sagacity in every European Court were profoundly impressed by learning that a new army raised within the year and undaunted by a series of recent disasters had assailed a victorious enemy in his own quarters and had only been repulsed after a sharp and dubious conflict John Fiske in The American Revolution 1891 wrote 31 The genius and audacity shown by Washington in thus planning and so nearly accomplishing the ruin of the British army only three weeks after the defeat at the Brandywine produced a profound impression upon military critics in Europe Frederick of Prussia saw that presently when American soldiers should come to be disciplined veterans they would become a very formidable instrument in the hands of their great commander and the French court in making up its mind that the Americans would prove efficient allies is said to have been influenced almost as much by the battle of Germantown as by the surrender of Burgoyne Eight Army National Guard units 103rd Eng Bn 34 A 1 104th Cav 35 109th FA 36 111th Inf 37 113th Inf 38 116th Inf 39 175th Inf 40 and 198th Sig Bn 41 and one active Regular Army Field Artillery battalion 1 5th FA 42 are derived from American units that participated in the Battle of Germantown There are only thirty currently existing units in the U S Army with lineages that go back to the colonial era See also EditAmerican Revolutionary War British northern strategy fails Places Battle of Germantown in overall sequence and strategic context Cliveden Benjamin Chew House Dawesfield Peter Wentz Homestead Wyck HouseNotes Edit Ward p 371 unquestionably a defeat for the Americans a b Ward p 362 Ward p 362 Washington informed Congress on September 28 that he had 8 000 Continentals and 3 000 militia at Pennypacker s Mill a b McGuire p 128 a b Ward p 371 Boatner 1994 p 283 Boatner 1994 pp 104 110 Boatner 1994 pp 828 829 McGuire 2006 p 318 McGuire 2006 pp 319 320 Boatner 1994 p 859 a b McGuire 2006 pp 321 322 Boatner 1994 p 860 Trussell p 1 Ward p 364 Battle of Germantown Summary Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 2017 10 30 Johnson 67 68 Esposito map 7 Johnson 67 69 Stanley Coren 2 January 2009 George Washington President General and Dog Breeder Psychology Today Sussex Publishers LLC Retrieved 4 August 2017 Letter from George Washington to General William Howe 6 October 1777 Founders Online National Archives Retrieved 4 August 2017 Jenkins Charles Francis Site and Relic Society of Germantown Philadelphia Pa 17 September 2017 The guide book to historic Germantown Germantown via Internet Archive a b Jenkins p 142 McGuire p 127 McGuire p 133 a b McGuire p 134 Ward p 371 53 Americans lay dead on its lawn 4 on its very doorsteps Katcher pp 31 and 35 Battle of Germantown Summary McGuire p 177 a b Fiske p 332 Pennsylvania Historical Marker Search PHMC Retrieved 3 November 2018 Trevelyan p 249 Department of the Army Lineage and Honors 103rd Engineer Battalion Department of the Army Lineage and Honors Troop A 1st Squadron 104th Cavalry Department of the Army Lineage and Honors 109th Field Artillery Department of the Army Lineage and Honors 111th Infantry Reproduced in Sawicki 1981 pp 217 219 Department of the Army Lineage and Honors 113th Infantry Reproduced in Sawicki 1981 pp 221 223 Department of the Army Lineage and Honors 116th Infantry Reproduced in Sawicki 1981 pp 227 229 Department of the Army Lineage and Honors 175th Infantry Reproduced in Sawicki 1982 pp 343 345 Department of the Army Lineage and Honors 198th Signal Battalion 1st Battalion 5th Field Artillery Regiment www history army mil References EditBoatner Mark M III 1994 Encyclopedia of the American Revolution Mechanicsburg Pa Stackpole Books ISBN 0 8117 0578 1 Esposito Vincent J The West Point Atlas of American Wars Vol 1 New York NY Praeger Publishers 1978 ISBN 0 275 20080 9 Fiske John The American Revolution In Two Volumes Houghton Mifflin and Company 1892 Jenkins Charles F The Guide Book to Historic Germantown Innes amp Sons 1904 Johnson Curt Battles of the American Revolution London Rand McNally amp Co 1975 ISBN 0 528 81022 7 Katcher Philip R N King George s Army 1775 1783 A Handbook of British American and German Regiments Osprey Reading Berkshire 1973 ISBN 0 85045 157 4 Massey Gregory D John Laurens and the American Revolution ISBN 978 1 57003 330 8 McGuire Thomas J 2006 The Philadelphia Campaign Volume I Bradywine and the Fall of Philadelphia Mechanicsburg Penn Stackpole Books ISBN 978 0 8117 0178 5 McGuire Thomas J 2007 The Philadelphia Campaign Volume II Germantown and the Roads to Valley Forge Mechanicsburg Penn Stackpole Books ISBN 978 0 8117 0206 5 Sawicki James A Infantry Regiments of the US Army Dumfries VA Wyvern Publications 1981 ISBN 978 0 9602404 3 2 Trevelyan George Otto The American Revolution Longmans Green amp Co 1912 Trussell Jr John B B The Battle of Germantown Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 1974 Ward Christopher The War of the Revolution Volume 1 The Macmillan Company 1952 Part II Vol II Watson s Annals of Philadelphia And Pennsylvania 1857Further reading EditWatson s Annals of Philadelphia And Pennsylvania 1857 History of Early Chestnut Hill by John J MacFarlane A M Philadelphia City History Society of Philadelphia 1927 Chapter IX Revolutionary and Other Military Events p 79 External links EditBattle of Germantown at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Resources from Wikiversity 1877 Spencer Bonsall map of Battle of Germantown Website for annual re enactment of Battle of Germantown Animated History of the Battle of Germantown Archived 2013 04 26 at the Wayback Machine General Orders for Attacking Germantown 3 October 1777 at National Archives and Records Administration Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Germantown amp oldid 1144638587, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.