Facts about Battle of Germantown
- 08
Henry Knox's artillery corps fired approximately 300 cannon shots during the Battle of Germantown, making it one of the heaviest artillery engagements of the American Revolutionary War's early years.
- 07
Cliveden mansion, located on the battlefield's western edge, served as a British stronghold during the engagement and housed approximately 120 redcoats who inflicted heavy casualties on attacking American forces.
- 06
Major John André's intelligence reports from Germantown revealed that the British had fortified the village with artillery batteries positioned on high ground overlooking the main American approach routes.
- 05
Washington's retreat from Germantown was covered by General Nathanael Greene's rear guard, which held off British pursuers near Chestnut Hill and prevented the American army from being surrounded and destroyed.
- 04
The dense fog during the Battle of Germantown caused American regiments to fire upon each other, with the 120th Regiment mistaking fellow patriots for British soldiers and inflicting friendly fire casualties.
- 03
Approximately 6,000 British and Hessian troops under General William Howe successfully defended Germantown despite being outnumbered by nearly two-to-one during the October 1777 engagement.
- 02
General George Washington's army suffered approximately 1,300 casualties during the Battle of Germantown compared to roughly 600 British losses, making it a pyrrhic tactical engagement.
- 01
On October 4, 1777, approximately 11,000 American forces attacked British-occupied Germantown, Pennsylvania in a complex four-pronged assault that ultimately failed due to miscommunication and dense fog.