Battle of Germantown

The battles of Germantown is a battle of the Guerre of American independence which took place the October 4th 1777.

Context

The Guerre of American independence opposed the Insurgents, organized in Milice S and a continental Armée directed by George Washington, with the British helped by Mercenaire S Hessiens. Starting from 1775, the Americans gain some battles (Lexington and Concord, Siège of Boston, Bataille of Trenton, Bataille of Princeton) but also essuient reverses (countryside of invasion of Canada, Bataille Length Island). They lose the town of New York into 1776 which then serves basic back for the British and the Loyaliste S. the following year, the insurgents are demolished by Charles Cornwallis with the Bataille of Brandywine and lose the control of Philadelphia. The general George Washington attacks the 9.000 men of William Howe in garrison with Germantown, with 8 kilometers in the north of Philadelphia.

The plan of Washington east simultaneously to attack the British with four columns in various directions during the night, an aim of creating a double envelopment. Because of weakness of synchronization and thin resources, the plan of Washington fails, and it is forced to reprocess towards Whitemarsh, pousuivi by the British.

The battle

Germantown is then a hamlet of approximately three kilometers length of stone-built houses, of Mount Airy in north with the intersection called Market Square. The general William Howe installed a garrison right in the south of Germantown. The west coast of the camp, under the command of the general hessois Wilhelm Knyphausan has a sentinel of two battalions of hunters. A brigade of Hesse and two brigades British camp along Market Square. In the east are two British brigades under the command of the general James Grand, as well as two squadrons of dragons and the 1st battalion of the regiment of light infantry. On the right side, there is a unit of loyal supporters of New York, Queen' S Rangers. The total of the British troops and hessoises of the camp represents approximately 9.000 men, while approximately 3.000 men were left in garrison with Philadelphia.

Having studied the British camping, Washington decides to launch an attack surprised against the British in spite of the fact that the American army is badly nourished, badly trained and under-equipped. In spite of the defeats and the losses of more than one thousand of men, Washington quickly able of replaced its losses, while Howe cannot do it. With 11.000 men, Washington thinks that the moment is favorable to launch an attack to destroy the British army. Instead of advancing in a massive wave against the British, Washington divides his army into four columns of attack. Each column is put moving through Germantown by different roads and encircles the British, tackling the two sides and the center in a pincer movement to destroy the camp

The American army leaves the camp right after fallen the night the October 3rd 1777. The first unit with being committed is the militia of Pennsylvania under the orders of the general John Armstrong, who stops on the edges of the split of Wissahicon, tie from there with their guns on the camp of Knyphausan, before being withdrawn. For the three other columns, one, under the command of the general John Sullivan, advances along Germantown Road; another column of the militia of the New Jersey, under the command of the general William Smallwood, goes up of Skippack Road towards Old York Road to attack the British right side; the third column, under the command of the general Nathaniel Greene, including/understanding divisions of Greene and the general Adam Stephen and the brigade of the general Alexander McDougall, advances along Limpkin Road to attack the British camp.

The principal elements of the column of Sullivan hustle the British sentinels of the light infantry with Mount Airy, just as the sun rises, around five hours. The only British unit in Germantown is the 40e regiment with foot under the command of colonel Thomas Musgrave. The British troops, in numerical inferiority, fight until they are overpowered under the number and constraints to reprocess. Cut remainder of the column, Musgrave and its six companies, approximately 120 men, barricade themselves in a large private mansion out of stones unoccupied, called Chew House. The owner, the judge Benjamin Chew, is in prison in Virginia like suspect of loyalty. The American brigades, under the orders of Sullivan, Conway and Anthony Wayne, deviates from Musgrave and continue their projection until worms one measures in kilometres British camp.

In the British camp, surprised by the American attack, Howe tries to rejoin its men. It tries to organize defense, but the American attack starts to stagger. As Washington follows the back of the army, he notices Chew House, where Musgrave holds always good; the commander of its artillery, the general Henry Knox, convinces it to take by storm the house. The brigade of the general William Maxwell, who is used as reserve, is then called forwards seizing the house, while Knox installs its guns on other side of Germantown road, out of reach fire of the British mousquets of Chew House, to ram it. But the thick stone walls of Chew House resist the American cannonade, and the attacks of the infantry are pushed back. Rare colonial American who reaches Chew House is killed or killed with the bayonet, whereas they try to force passage through the doors and the windows, barricaded. At least 70 American soldiers are killed, and of many others are wounded in a vain offensive. Musgrave encourages its men to resist to the last man, in Chew House, affirming that the Americans will probably not make prisoners.

During this time, the column of Greene on Limpkin Road manages to reach the British sentinels with Luken' S Mill and hunting. But, whereas a thick fog is formed, in the morning, the shootings of guns and mousquets the vision more difficult, and the offensive of the dark column in confusion make. One of the brigades of Greene, under the command of the Stephen general, changes road and passes on Meetinghouse Road, instead of converging towards the remainder of the forces of Greene on Market Square, running up against the back of the brigade of Wayne. The troops of Stephen, taking the men of Wayne for the British, in the fog and smoke, draw on them. Plunged years confusion, the men of Wayne relax themselves and are constrained to reprocess. The retirement of Wayne leaves the left side of Conway without support. In north, the brigade of McDougall undergoes an attack of Queen' S Rangers and Guards of the British reserve, forcing them to beat a retreat. An ultimate attack, launched by the 9th colonial brigade of Virginia of the column of Greene, tries to save the day, but it is encircled soon by two British brigades, taken along by the general Cornwallis, hardly arrived of Philadelphia with reinforcements, which counter-attack. Isolated, 9th of Virginia east forced to go. Greene, learning that the column of Sullivan reprocesses, leaving it alone vis-a-vis a counter-attack of the whole of the British camp, decides in its turn to be withdrawn.

With the majority of the columns which reprocess, Washington orders in Armstrong and to the men of Smallwood to withdraw itself under good conditions. The brigade of Maxwell, failing to capture Chew House, is forced to move back it too. Engaging a continuation, part of the British army moves towards north on approximately fourteen kilometers and half, but is isolated towards bad roads. The actions of rear-guard of the infantry of Greene, the artillerists of Wayne, a detachment of cavalry under the command of a Polish volunteer, the count Kazimierz Pułaski, and to lay down it sun stop the British continuation.

Continuations

152 Americans are killed, 521 wounded and 400 captured. The British losses amount to 71 killed, 450 wounded and 14 missings. The Americans did not succeed in inflicting real damage with the British army. In an unexpected way, the moral one of the Americans is not deteriorated and there remains high because their forces, under the orders of Greene and Wayne, have constrained the British to beat a retreat and that the victory changed camp only when the men of Wayne were attacked by error by those of Stephen. Stephen passed thereafter into court-martial and was relieved when it was discovered that it had drunk during the walk of its column. The command of this division was given to a young promising French, the marquis of Fayette.

The plan of Washington to attack the British camp fails because of its too great complexity, requiring a great coordination between the four groups assailing. Thereafter, more complétents military chiefs said to Washington that they would never have planned a complicated operation because of his many defects, but the fact that they missed little gaining, to one moment, gave the men of Washington and to the remainder of the American army a greater confidence in them.

Involved forces

American units: 1st regiment of the Maryland, 9th regiment of Virginia.

British units: Queen' S Rangers, brigade hessoise, two battalions of hunters, 40e regiment with foot.

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