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He took this resolution with the more confidence, as he was now reenforced by the junction of the troops from Peek's Kill and the Maryland militia.

Germantown is a considerable village, about half a dozen miles from Philadelphia, and which, stretching on both sides of the great road to the northward, forms a continued street of two miles in length. The British line of encampment crossed Germantown at right angles about the centre, the left wing extending on the west, from the town to the Schuylkill. That wing was covered in front, by the mounted and dismounted German chasseurs, who were stationed a little above towards the American camp; a battalion of light infantry, and the Queen's American rangers were in the front of the right. The centre being posted within the town, was guarded by the fortieth regiment, and another battalion of light infantry stationed about three quarters of a mile above the head of the village. Washington resolved to attack the British by surprise, not doubting that, if he succeeded in breaking them, as they were not only distant, but totally separated from the fleet, his victory must be decisive.

He so disposed his troops, that the divisions of Sullivan and Wayne, flanked by Conway's brigade, were to march down the main road, and entering the town by the way of Chestnut Hill, to attack the English centre, and the right flank of their left wing; the divisions of Greene and Stephens, flanked by Macdougall's brigade, were to take a circuit towards the east, by the Limekiln road, and entering the town at the markethouse, to attack the left flank of the right wing. The intention of the American general in seizing the village of Germantown by a double attack, was effectually to separate the right and left wings of the royal army, which must have given him a certain victory. In order that the left flank of the left wing might not contract itself, and support the right flank of the same wing, general Armstrong, with the Pennsylvania militia, was ordered to march down the bridge road upon the banks of the Schuylkill, and endeavor to turn the English, if they should retire from that river. In like manner, to prevent the right flank of the right wing from going to the succour of the left flank, which rested upon Germantown, the militia of Maryland and Jersey, under generals Smallwood and Forman, were to march down the Old York road, and to fall upon the English on that extremity of their wing. The division of lord Sterling, and the brigades of generals Nash and Maxwell, formed the reserve. These dispositions being made, Washington quitted his camp at Skippach Creek, and moved towards the enemy, on the third of October, about seven in the evening. Parties of cavalry silently scoured all the roads to seize any individuals who might have given notice to the British general of the danger that threatened him. Washington in person accompanied the column of Sullivan and Wayne. The march was rapid and silent.

At three o'clock in the morning, the British patroles discovered the approach of the Americans; the troops were soon called to arms; each took his post with the precipitation of surprise. About sunrise the Americans came up. General Conway having driven in the pickets, fell upon the fortieth regiment and the battalion of light infantry. These corps, after a short resistance, being overpowered by numbers, were pressed and pursued into the village. Fortune appeared already to have declared herself in favor of the Americans; and certainly if they had gained complete possession of Germantown, nothing could have frustrated them of the most signal victory. But in this conjuncture, lieutenant-colonel Musgrave threw himself, with six companies of the fortieth regiment, into a large and strong stone house, situated near the head of the village, from which he poured upon the assailants so terrible a fire of musketry that they could advance no further. The Americans attempted to storm this unexpected covert of the enemy, but those within continued to defend themselves with resolution. They finally brought cannon up to the assault, but such was the intrepidity of the English, and the violence of their fire, that it was found impossible to dislodge them. During this time, general Greene had approached the right wing, and routed, after a slight engagement, the light infantry and Queen's rangers. Afterwards, turning a little to his right, and towards Germantown, he fell upon the left flank of the enemy's right wing, and endeavored to enter the village. Meanwhile, he expected that the Pennsylvania militia, under Armstrong, upon the right, and the militia of Maryland and Jersey, commanded by Smallwood and Forman on the left, would have executed the orders of the commander-in-chief, by attacking and turning, the first the left, and the second the right, flank of the British army. But either because the obstacles they encountered had retarded them, or that they wanted ardor, the former arrived in sight of the German chasseurs, and did not attack them; the latter appeared too late upon the field of battle.

The consequence was, that general Grey, finding his left flank secure, marched, with nearly the whole of the left wing, to the assistance of the centre, which, notwithstanding the unexpected resistance of colonel Musgrave, was excessively hard pressed in Germantown, where the Americans gained ground incessantly. The battle was now very warm at that village, the attack and the defence being equally vigorous. The issue appeared for some time dubious. General Agnew was mortally wounded, while charging with great bravery, at the head of the fourth brigade. The American colonel Matthews, of the column of Greene, assailed the English with so much fury that he drove them before him into the town. He had taken a large number of prisoners, and was about entering the village, when he perceived that a thick fog and the unevenness of the ground had caused him to lose sight of the rest of his division. Being soon

enveloped by the extremity of the right wing, which fell back upon him when it had discovered that nothing was to be apprehended from the tardy approach of the militia of Maryland and Jersey, he was compelled to surrender with all his party; the English had already rescued their prisoners. This check was the cause that two regiments of the English right wing were enabled to throw themselves into Germantown, and to attack the Americans who had entered it in flank. Unable to sustain the shock, they retired precipitately, leaving a great number of killed and wounded. Lieutenant-colonel Musgrave, to whom belongs the principal honor of this affair, was then relieved from all peril. General Grey, being absolute master of Germantown, flew to the succour of the right wing, which was engaged with the left of the column of Greene. The Americans then took to flight, abandoning to the English throughout the line, a victory of which, in the commencement of the action, they had felt assured.

The principal causes of the failure of this well concerted enterprise, were the extreme haziness of the weather; which was so thick, that the Americans could neither discover the situation nor movements of the British army, nor yet those of their own; the inequality of the ground, which incessantly broke the ranks of their battalions; an inconvenience more serious and difficult to be repaired for new and inexperienced troops, as were most of the Americans, than for the English veterans; and, finally, the unexpected resistance of Musgrave, who found means, in a critical moment, to transform a mere house into an impregnable fortress.

Thus fortune, who at first had appeared disposed to favor one party, suddenly declared herself on the side of their adversaries. Lord Cornwallis, being at Philadelphia, upon intelligence of the attack upon the camp, flew to its succour with a corps of cavalry and the grenadiers; but when he reached the field of battle, the Americans had already left it. They had two hundred men killed in this action; the number of wounded amounted to six hundred; and about four hundred were made prisoners. One of their most lamented losses was that of general Nash, of North Carolina. The loss of the British was little over five hundred in killed and wounded; among the former were brigadier-general Agnew, an officer of rare merit, and colonel Bird. The American army saved all its artillery, and retreated the same day about twenty miles, to Perkyomy Creek.

The Congress expressed in decided terms their approbation, both of the plan of this enterprise and the courage with which it was executed; for which their thanks were given to the general and the army. General Stephens, however, was cashiered for misconduct on the retreat.

A few days after the battle, the royal army removed from Germantown to Philadelphia. The want of provisions would not have

permitted Howe to follow the enemy into his fastnesses, and he was desirous of cooperating with the naval force in opening the navigation of the Delaware. Washington, having received a small reenforcement of fifteen hundred militia, and a state regiment from Virginia, again advanced a few miles towards the English, and encamped once more at Skippach Creek. Thus, the British general might have seen that he had to grapple with an adversary, who, far from allowing himself to be discouraged by adverse fortune, seemed, on the contrary, to gain by it more formidable energies; who, the moment after defeat, was prepared to resume the offensive; and whose firmness and activity were such, that even the victories obtained by his adversaries only yielded them the effects of defeat. Nor was the taking of Philadelphia attended with those advantages which were expected from it.

The inhabitants of the country were not in the least intimidated by that event; and the victorious army, surrounded on all sides by enemies, found itself, as it were, immured within the precincts of the city. Washington, posted on the heights of the Schuylkill, maintained a menacing attitude; he employed his cavalry and light troops in scouring the country between the banks of that river and those of the Delaware. He thus repressed the excursions of the English, prevented them from foraging with safety, and deterred the disaffected or the avaricious among the people of the country from conveying provisions to their camp. Moreover, the Congress passed a resolution, subjecting to martial law and to death all those who should furnish the royal troops with provisions, or any other aids whatsoever. Compelled to relinquish the hope of supporting his army from the adjacent country, the British general now applied himself with diligence to the task of removing the obstructions of the Delaware, and opening a free communication with the fleet. The enterprise presented difficulties and dangers of no ordinary magnitude. To succeed in this operation, it was necessary to seize Mud Island, which was defended by Fort Mifflin, and the point of Red Bank, where the Americans had erected Fort Mercer. After the reduction of these two fortresses, the upper chevaux-de-frize might be destroyed.

General Howe, therefore, resolved to attack them both at the same time, in concert with those ships which had been able to pass the lower barrier. Batteries of heavy artillery had been erected on the Pennsylvania side, in front of Mud Island, to assist in dislodging the enemy from that position. The garrison of Fort Mifflin was commanded by colonel Smith, and that of Fort Mercer by colonel Greene, both officers in great esteem among the Americans.

General Howe had arranged for the attack of Fort Mifflin, that while the batteries on the western shore should open their fire upon its right flank, the Vigilant ship of war, passing up the narrow channel which separates Hog Island from the Pennsylvania shore, should

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cannonade it in the rear, and the frigates, with the ships Isis and Augusta in front, approaching it by the middle channel, which is considerably wider and deeper. As to Fort Mercer, it was also to be attacked in the rear, on the side of New Jersey, by landing troops on the left bank of the Delaware.

According to these dispositions, the English put themselves in motion on the evening of the twenty-first of October. Colonel Donop, a German officer, who had distinguished himself in the course of this campaign, passed the Delaware from Philadelphia, with a strong detachment of Hessians, at Cooper's Ferry. Then marching down upon the Jersey shore, along the bank of the river, he arrived at a late hour the following day, in the rear of Red Bank. The fortifications consisted of extensive outer works, within which was a strong palisaded intrenchment, well furnished with artillery. Donop attacked the fort with the utmost gallantry. The Americans, after a slight resistance in the outer intrenchment, finding their number too small to man it sufficiently, withdrew into the body of the redoubt, where they made a vigorous defence.

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Their intrepidity and the want of scaling ladders baffled all the efforts of the Hessians. Colonel Donop was mortally wounded and taken prisoner. Several of his best officers were killed or disabled colonel Mingerode himself, the second in command, received a dangerous wound. The Hessians were then severely repulsed; and lieutenant-colonel Linsing drew them off with precipitation; but even in their retreat they suffered extremely by the fire of the enemy's gallies and floating batteries. The loss of the Hessians was estimated at not less than four or five hundred men. Donop expired of his wounds the next day. The Americans owed much of their success to the Chevalier du Plessis, a French officer, who directed the artillery with great ability and valor. The vanquished returned to Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, the ships had advanced, in order to be in readiness to attack Mud Island. After having made their way with difficulty through the lower barrier, the Augusta man of war, several frigates and other smaller vessels, waited above it for the tide; the moment the flood set in, they proceeded towards their destined stations. But a strong northerly wind prevented the Vigilant from taking the post assigned her between Hog Island and the Pennsylvania shore. Moreover, the obstructions which the Americans had sunk in the bed of the river, had, in some degree, altered its natural channel. By this means the Augusta and Merlin were grounded so fast, at some distance from the chevaux-de-frize, that there was no possibility of getting them off. The frigates, however, reached their stations and commenced a cannonade upon Fort Mifflin, while the batteries on shore were also opened upon the garrison. The Americans defended themselves with spirit, and night soon put an end to

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