Battle of Germantown
- When
- 1777
- Where
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Germantown garrison; Germantown, Pennsylvania; Cliveden (Benjamin Chew House), Germantown; Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
- Episodes
- 5
The Battle of Germantown, fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, saw General George Washington's Continental Army attack the British garrison under General Sir William Howe and be repelled. The engagement followed Howe's capture of Philadelphia and ended with Washington withdrawing to Valley Forge.
Episodes
- Howe Seizes Philadelphia
After victories at Brandywine and Paoli, Howe outmaneuvered Washington and captured Philadelphia on September 26, 1777.
- American Prisoners and Withdrawal to Valley Forge
In October 1777, about 438 Americans were taken prisoner, including the 9th Virginia Regiment; Washington withdrew his intact army to Valley Forge.
- Washington Resolves to Attack Germantown
Washington resolved to attack the Germantown garrison as his last effort of the year before winter quarters, issuing orders on October 3.
- Battle of Germantown
On October 4, 1777, Washington's Continental Army attacked the British at Germantown and was repelled by Howe's forces.
- Defense of Cliveden
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Musgrave's roughly 120 men fortified the stone house Cliveden, and Maxwell's brigade later stormed it.
Background and detail
Background. After defeating the Continental Army at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11 and the Battle of Paoli on September 20, Howe outmaneuvered Washington and seized Philadelphia, the capital of the United States, on September 26. Cornwallis subsequently took the city, dealing a blow to the revolutionary cause.
Dispositions Before Battle. Howe left a garrison of some 3,000 troops in Philadelphia while moving the bulk of his force to Germantown, then an outlying community of the city. Washington resolved to attack the Germantown garrison as the last effort of the year before entering winter quarters, issuing general orders for the attack on October 3, 1777.
Outcome and Aftermath. Washington's attack was repelled by the British. According to a Hessian staff officer, some 438 Americans were taken prisoner, including Colonel George Mathews and the entire 9th Virginia Regiment. Washington, his army intact, withdrew to Valley Forge, where he wintered and retrained his forces.
People involved
- George Washington · Commander of the American Continental Army
- Sir William Howe · Commander of the British Army
- William Smallwood · Brigadier General leading New Jersey militia column
- Thomas Musgrave · Lieutenant Colonel, British 40th Regiment of Foot
- John Laurens · Lieutenant Colonel and volunteer aide on Washington's staff
- William Maxwell · Brigadier General commanding reserve brigade
- George Mathews · American colonel taken prisoner
Sources
- Battle of Germantown Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-20
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.