Mike Church

This Day In Founders History – 4 October

On this day in 1777, the Battle of Germantown, just outside Philadelphia, was fought. Philadelphia had been seized by the British, but General Washington learned that General Howe had split his troops, with the majority near Germantown, and decided to attack. Washington attacked in the early morning while the fog was heavy, causing much confusion on both sides. Although the battle was a victory for the British, both sides suffered heavy casualties, with nearly 1,000 American men wounded or captured. The silver lining to this American loss was that France was so impressed by the victory at Saratoga and this attack on Germantown that they agreed to provide more assistance to the Continental Army.