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

by Michael C. Harris

Overview

The award–winning author of Brandywine examines a pivotal but overlooked battle of the American Revolution’s Philadelphia Campaign.

Today, Germantown is a busy Philadelphia neighborhood. On October 4, 1777, it was a small village on the outskirts of the colonial capital—and the site of one of the American Revolution’s largest battles. Now Michael C. Harris sheds new light on this important action with a captivating historical study.

After defeating Washington’s rebel army in the Battle of Brandywine, General Sir William Howe took Philadelphia. But Washington soon returned, launching a surprise attack on the British garrison at Germantown. The recapture of the colonial capital seemed within Washington’s grasp until poor decisions by the American high command led to a clear British victory.

With original archival research and a deep knowledge of the terrain, Harris merges the strategic, political, and tactical history of this complex operation into a single compelling account. Complete with original maps, illustrations, and modern photos, and told largely through the words of those who fought there, Germantown is a major contribution to American Revolutionary studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611215205
Publisher:	Savas Beatie
Publication date:	10/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	620,161
File size:	69 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

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

Editorial Reviews

"The book will provide a useful and readable study for the military historian seeking to walk the ground with Washington and his forces. I especially appreciated the in-depth discussions of the various armament, forces, personalities, and political considerations involved. Coupled with Harris’s prior volume, Brandywine (Savas Beatie, 2014), this book makes a thorough study of the 1777 Philadelphia Campaign and would be a worthy addition to any library."

Parameters

…the first complete study to merge the strategic, political, and tactical history of this complex operation and important set-piece battle into a single compelling account. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of original maps, numerous illustrations, and modern photos… draws largely through the words of those who fought there. The result is one of the most informative and 'reader friendly' military studies of its kind.

Midwest Book Review

"Harris has once again triumphed in establishing a definitive military history of a lone Revolutionary War battle."

The Colonial Review

Michael Harris’s new book picks up where his last book left off, with the troops marching off to fight the little-known Battle of the Clouds, the often overlooked Battle of Paoli, and the major engagement of Germantown. His new book sheds new light as to why some men who participated in the Paoli bloodshed may have turned Germantown into a massacre.

Jim Christ

First, Michael Harris wrote an excellent study of the largest set-piece battle of the Revolutionary War at Brandywine. Now, he has delivered an equally outstanding study of the follow-on actions that made up the balance of the Philadelphia Campaign, including a major reinterpretation of the strategically significant Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777. Washington’s defeat (at what may have been the second largest set-piece battle of the war) ensured that Philadelphia would remain in British hands while his army suffered the brutal winter at Valley Forge, but also helped convince the French to recognize the nascent American Government and intervene on its behalf. Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777 deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the Revolutionary War’s most important northern campaign.

Eric J. Wittenberg

Germantown—one of the few major actions of the Revolution lacking an in-depth study. Until now. From the flashing bayonets at Paoli to the smoke and fog at Cliveden, Michael Harris’s Germantown takes us through the second half of the Philadelphia Campaign. This follow-up to his award-winning Brandywine (2015 winner of the American Revolution Round Table of Richmond Book Award), is deeply researched, heavily sourced, and compellingly written. Huzza!

Bill Welsch