Battle of Germantown

Battle of Germantown Part of the American Revolutionary War Hessian map of the Philadelphia campaign, Date October 4 1777 Location Germantown, Pennsylvania Result British victory Belligerents United States Kingdom of Great Britain Hessians Commanders and leaders George Washington Nathanael Greene William Howe Charles Cornwallis General Knyphausen Strength 11,000 9,000 Casualties and losses 152 killed, 521 wounded, 400 captured 71 killed, 450 wounded, 14 Captured

The Battle of Germantown was a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on October 4, 1777 in the area surrounding Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British and Hessians against the Americans. The battle was a victory for the British, who prevented the Colonial re-capture of Germantown.

Prelude

Nearly as with every campaign for the Colonial forces, the Philadelphia Campaign began very badly. Washington had suffered a defeat at the Battle of Brandywine while trying to defend the provincial Colonial capital of Philadelphia. The Americans had suffered another defeat at the Battle of Paoli.

After the September 26, 1777, occupation of Philadelphia by Charles Cornwallis, William Howe left 3,000 men to defend the newly-captured provincial capital and took 9,000 men to march on Germantown, determined to destroy the American forces. Howe encamped his army in Germantown.

Washington was determined to attack the British force in Germantown, as the last effort of the year before Winter set in. Washington's plan was to simultaneously attack the British in four columns from different directions during the night, creating a double envelopment. The idea was to surprise the whole British and Hessian army the same way the Hessians had been surprised at the Battle of Trenton.

The British and Hessian Position

Germantown was a hamlet of stone houses from what is now known as Mount Airy on the north to what is now Wayne Junction on the south. Extending southwest from the Square was Schoolhouse Lane, running a mile and a half to the point where Wissahickon Creek emptied from a steep gorge into the Schuylkill River. General William Howe had established a base camp along the high ground of Schoolhouse and Church lanes. The western wing of the camp, under the command of the Hessian general Wilhelm von Knyphausen had a picket of two Jäger battalions at its left flank on the high ground above the mouth of the Wissahickon. A Hessian brigade and two British brigades camped along Market Square, and east were two British brigades under the command of General James Grant, as well as two squadrons of dragoons, and the 1st Battalion of the Light Infantry regiment. Covering the right flank was a New York loyalist unit called the Queen's Rangers. The total of British and Hessian troops in the camp totaled around 9,000.

Washington's Overconfidence

Washington's plan was to simultaneously trap the British and Hessian army in a four-pronged pincer maneuver with the hopes of trapping Howe and his force, destroying it. Perhaps Washington was however, being overconfident about his plan. His army was underfed, ill-trained and ill-equipped. Despite the recent defeats at the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Paoli with losses of more than 1,000 men, Washington was very quickly able to replace his army's losses, whereas Howe, in hostile country and thousands of miles from Britain, could not. Washington's army had 11,700 men, which gave him the confidence that the Continental Army would overwhelm the British force in camp.

Chew House at the Battle of Germantown

The Americans March Out

The American army left camp just after dusk on October 3 1777. The British and Hessian forces had no idea that 11,700 American troops were advancing on them. For the Americans, it seemed their second attempt at another Trenton was going to succeed. The night made communications between the columns very difficult, and progress was not as speedy as expected. At dawn, the American army was well short of their starting lines, and they no longer had the element of surprise at night. One column of American militia had managed however, to reach the British camp.

These troops halted on the banks of the Wissahickon Creek, firing a few rounds from their cannon at Knyphausen's camp before withdrawing. Of the three remaining columns, one under the command of General John Sullivan, advanced along Germantown Road, another column of New Jersey militia under the command of General William Smallwood advanced down Skippack Road to Whitemarsh Church Road and from there to Old York Road to attack the British right flank. The other column, under the command of General Nathanael Greene, which consisted of Greene's and General Adam Stephen's divisions and General Alexander McDougall's brigade, advanced along Limekiln Road to attack the British camp.

Battle

The vanguard of Sullivan's column began the battle when they opened fire on the British pickets of Light Infantry at Mount Airy just as the sun was rising at around 5am. A thick fog clouded the field which smothered the battlefield for the rest of the day. The British pickets resisted strongly against the advancing American forces, who fired their guns to warn of the attack. Howe rode forward, thinking that they were being attacked by foraging or skirmishing parties.

It took a substantial part of Sullivan's division to finally overwhelm the British pickets and drive them back into Germantown. Now cut off from the main British and Hessian force, Colonel Musgrave caused his six companies of troops from the 40th Regiment, around 120 men to fortify the stone house of Chief Justice Chew, called Cliveden. The American forces launched furious assaults against the Chew House, but despite overwhelming numbers, the troops inside were holding out, and the attacks were beaten back with heavy casualties. Washington called a council of war to decide how to deal with the distraction. Some of the officers favoured bypassing the Chew House and leaving a regiment behind to deal with the Chew House. However, Henry Knox, told Washington that no occupied enemy garrison should be left behind to a forward advance. Washington concurred.

General William Maxwell's brigade, which was held in reserve of the American forces was brought forward to storm the Chew House, while Henry Knox, Washington's artillery commander established four three-pounders out of musket range and began to bombard the Chew House. However, the bombardments were unsuccessful, the walls of the Chew House were too thick to penetrate. Infantry assaults launched against the Chew House were cut down with heavy casualties. The few Americans who reached the Chew House or who managed to get inside were shot or bayoneted. It was becoming clear that not only was the Chew House not going to give up easily, the attack was beginning to falter and lose momentum.

Meanwhile, General Nathanael Greene's column on the Limekiln Road managed to catch up with the American forces at Germantown. The vanguard of his column engaged the British pickets at Luken's Mill and drove them off after a savage skirmish. Due to the heavy fog that clouded the field, smoke from the cannons and muskets made it even harder to make visual contact with the enemy, and his column was thrown into disarray and confusion. One of Greene's brigades, under the command of General Stephen, veered off course and began following Meetinghouse Road instead of converging with the rest of Greene's forces on Market Square, colliding with the rest of Wayne's brigade. Stephen's wary troops, mistook Wayne's men for the redcoats and opened up heavy fire on each other. Both brigades became badly disorganised and both columns broke and fled. Wayne's withdrawal left Conway's left flank unsupported.

In the north, an American column led by McDougall came under attack by the Tory Loyalist troops of the Queen's Rangers and the Guards of the British reserve. After a savage battle between the two, McDougall's brigade was forced to retreat, suffering heavy losses. Still convinced however that they could win, the Colonial 9th Virginian troops of Greene's column launched a savage attack on the British and Hessian line as planned, managing to break through, capturing a number of prisoners. However, they were soon surrounded by two British brigades who launched a devastating counter-charge, led by General Cornwallis. Cut off completely, the 9th Virginian Regiment was forced to surrender. Greene, learning of the main army's defeat and withdrawal, realised that he stood alone against the whole British and Hessian army, withdrew aswell.

The large, main attacks on the British and Hessian camp had been repulsed with heavy casualties. Washington ordered Armstrong and Smallwood's men to withdraw. Maxwell's brigade, still having failed to capture the Chew House was forced to fall back. Part of the British army rushed forward, and the American withdrawal deteriorated. The British troops pursued the retreating Americans for some nine miles before giving up the chase. Greene's infantry, Wayne's artillery guns and a detachment of dragoons, as well as the night, halted the British pursuit.

Aftermath

Of the 11,700 men Washington led into battle, 152 were killed, 521 wounded, and 400 captured. 70 Americans were killed attacking the Chew House. British casualties were 71 killed, 450 wounded, and 14 missing. Because of several factors, the American hopes of ending the war early were shattered, and their forces were defeated. Stephen was later court-martialed and dismissed from military service when it was discovered he was drunk during his advance. Command of his division was given to a promising young Frenchman, the Marquis de Lafayette.

The battle, though it had several unseen political factors, was a decisive victory for the British and Hessians for several reasons. Had the attack succeeded, the British and Hessian army would have most likely have been destroyed, forcing Britain to negotiate a settlement there and then. Also, it prevented the capture of both Germantown and possibly Philadelphia.

Washington's plan was a failure because of several factors:

• Washington was overconfident in the ability of his troops to execute such a complicated attack
• The attack required constant co-ordination between the columns of his army
• When the 40th Foot put up stubborn resistance, Stephen disobeyed orders and attempted to attack the Chew House, to no avail.

However, unknown at the time, the battle would have a long term positive impact for the Americans. The French, impressed by Washington's willingness to launch a counter attack, began to push for war. They saw that the Americans were really willing to give an all out effort to win the war.

Troops

Continental Army: 1st Maryland Regiment, 9th Virginia Regiment, 6th Pennsylvania Regiment

Kingdom of Great Britain: Queen's Rangers, Hessian Brigade two Jäger battalions, 40th Regiment of Foot

Further reading

• McGuire, Thomas J., "The Philadelphia Campaign, Vol. II: Germantown and the Roads to Valley Forge," Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2006. ISBN 978-0-8117-0206-5, pages 43 to 124.
• “Guidebook to Historic Germantown,” Prepared for the Site & rlic society by Charles Francis Jenkins, 1865, Germantown, 1902.
• 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

• Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
• 1877 Spencer Bonsall map of Battle of Germantown
• British Battles
• Battle of Germantown
• Website for annual re-enactment of Battle of Germantown