Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777

Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777

by Michael C. Harris
Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777

Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777

by Michael C. Harris

Paperback

$26.95 
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Overview

Today, Germantown is a busy neighborhood in Philadelphia. On October 4, 1777, it was a small village on the outskirts of the colonial capital that hosted one of the largest battles of the American Revolution. George Washington’s attempt to recapture Philadelphia has been misunderstood and long overshadowed by the battles of Brandywine, Saratoga, and the difficult winter that followed at Valley Forge. Michael C. Harris, the award-winning author of Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777 (2014), has produced the first full-length book on the Battle of Germantown, lifting the pivotal engagement out of its undeserved obscurity.

General Sir William Howe launched his campaign to capture Philadelphia in late July 1777. His army sailed aboard a 265-ship armada from New York and six difficult weeks later landed near Elkton, Maryland, moved north into Pennsylvania, and defeated Washington’s American army at Brandywine on September 11. Philadelphia fell soon thereafter.

When he spotted an opportunity to defeat part of Howe’s army, Washington devised and launched a complex four-column attack, marching his men most of the night to strike the British early on the morning of October 4. Obscured by ground fog, the attack caught the British garrison at Germantown by surprise. With the enemy collapsing and his reserves yet to fire a shot, Philadelphia seemed within Washington’s grasp—until a series of poor decisions by the American high command around the Chew House brought about a stunning reversal of fortune that swept the Americans from the field. Although a tactical defeat, Germantown proved Continental soldiers could stand toe-to-toe with British and Hessian Regulars.

Germantown is the first complete study to merge the strategic, tactical, political, and naval history of this complex regional operation and set-piece battle into a single compelling account. Harris’s sweeping prose, which begins where his award-winning Brandywine left off, relies extensively on original archival research and (to the extent possible today) personal knowledge of the terrain. Germantown is no mere retelling, but a major reinterpretation of the battle, troop movements, and decision-making (including the fascinating chess match for control of the forts along the Schuylkill River) that nearly drove the British out of Philadelphia. Twenty-seven original maps, together with illustrations and modern photos, extensive explanatory footnotes, appendices, and an order of battle support the text and provide contextual understanding of the movement of the armies and the strategic and tactical implications of this grand matching of wills.

Michael Harris’s Germantown, now in paperback, sets the standard for Revolutionary War battle studies and will please the most discriminating reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781611216929
Publisher: Savas Beatie
Publication date: 09/30/2023
Pages: 528
Sales rank: 538,970
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michael C. Harris is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and the American Military University. He has worked for the National Park Service in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Fort Mott State Park in New Jersey, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission at Brandywine Battlefield. He has conducted tours and staff rides of many east coast battlefields. Michael is certified in secondary education and currently teaches in the Philadelphia region. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Michelle and son Nathanael.

Table of Contents

Preface, Acknowledgments, Note on Sources and Methods vi

Dramatis Personae xvii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Philadelphia Campaign, June-September 1777 11

Chapter 2 The Battle of the Clouds, September 13-16, 1777 37

Chapter 3 After the Storm, September 17-20, 1777 63

Chapter 4 The Battle of Paoli, September 20-21, 1777 84

Chapter 5 Washington Outmaneuvered, Again, September 21-25, 1777 109

Chapter 6 Philadelphia Captured, September 26, 1777 133

Chapter 7 Preparing for Battle, September 27-October 2, 1777 154

Chapter 8 The Continental Army, October 3, 1777 183

Chapter 9 The British Army, October 3, 1777 208

Chapter 10 The Eve of Battle, October 3, 1777 233

Chapter 11 Marching to the Attack, October 3-4, 1777 253

Chapter 12 Sullivan & Armstrong Strike, October 4, 1777 (5:00 to 6:30 a.m.) 268

Chapter 13 Greene and Smallwood Join the Fight, October 4, 1777 (5:30 to 7:00 a.m.) 297

Chapter 14 Decision at Cliveden, October 4, 1777 (7:00 to 8:00 a.m.) 322

Chapter 15 British Counterattack, October 4, 1777 (8:00 to 10:00 a.m.) 346

Chapter 16 The Aftermath of Battle, October 4, 1777 (10:00 a.m. to Evening) 372

Chapter 17 The Philadelphia Campaign Continues, October-December, 1777 404

Epilogue 412

Appendix A Order of Battle 434

Appendix B The Court Martial of Adam Stephen 443

Appendix C The Chew House after the War 450

Bibliography 454

Index 473

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