American soldiers were routed at the Battle of Brandywine.
In spring 1777 British commander William Howe pulled his men out of New Jersey and headed back to New York. His next target was Philadelphia, the U.S. capital. Howe put his men on ships and landed in Maryland. In September 1777 they marched north.
By now General Washington’s army had grown to about 11,000 men, but the British Army still outnumbered it by about 7,000 troops. Washington’s goal was to attack the British before they reached Philadelphia.
BRANDYWINE AND GERMANTOWN
On September 11 the Americans spread out along Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania. In a battle that lasted most of the day, the British fooled the Americans by attacking with a small force in the center, then sending a larger force to encircle the Americans from the rear. The Americans suffered about twice as many casualties as the British, who soon took Philadelphia.
In October the two armies clashed at nearby Germantown, Pennsylvania. A heavy fog clung low over the battlefield, and American troops struggled to carry out their generals’ detailed battle plan. The Americans once again lost, but Washington believed his men had fought well against the better-trained British.
For the Patriots, the best news of 1777 came from New York. In two separate battles near Saratoga that fall, the Americans defeated a British force that was moving south from Canada. Several heroes emerged during the battles, though least among them might have been the U.S. commander, Horatio Gates. At times Gates was slow to move his larger force against the British troops under General John Burgoyne. Another American general, Benedict Arnold, argued with the commander about what to do. At one point he defied Gates’ order to stay in camp.
At both Saratoga battles, Arnold bravely led charges against the British. While attacking a British redoubt, Arnold had his horse shot from underneath him. “Rush on, my brave boys!”5 he called to his men, and they did, dodging bullets to take the redoubt. Also crucial at both battles were Colonel Daniel Morgan and his expert riflemen. With their second victory, the Americans took almost 6,000 prisoners. The success at Saratoga led France to join the war against Great Britain. The French had already been sending the Americans money and supplies. Now they would fight the British at sea and begin to send men to help the Americans.
Benedict Arnold is remembered today as a terrible traitor. He turned against the Patriot cause in 1779 to help the British. But Arnold also had been one of the bravest generals on the American side. Throughout the war Arnold believed he didn’t receive the rewards he deserved for his heroic service, which led to his leaving the Patriot side. After the war Arnold lived for a time in Canada and then settled in England, where he died a poor man in 1801.
A DIFFICULT WINTER
Washington and his troops next moved to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to spend the winter. Tired from a tough campaign, the men began building small wooden huts there in December 1777.
As the winter went on, the troops battled the cold and disease while their bellies often ached for food. The soldiers were living on little more than “fire cakes” made of flour and water. The cry of “No meat! No meat!”6 rang through the camp. In his headquarters Washington worried his army might not make it through the winter.
Keeping warm was another problem. The huts weren’t sturdy enough to keep out the cold wind. Many soldiers were wearing rags. As many as 3,000 soldiers were dead by spring.
BETTER DAYS
Things began to look up for Washington’s army in March. Army engineers began repairing the roads and bridges between the town of Lancaster and the camp, which allowed wagons of food to reach Valley Forge.
But the soldiers were still undisciplined and poorly trained. That changed with the arrival of Friedrich von Steuben. The professional soldier from the German kingdom of Prussia was skilled in the best European methods of keeping men organized during battle. Steuben personally trained a small number of Americans, and they then taught the other soldiers at Valley Forge.
They had their first chance to use their new skills in June 1778. The British left Philadelphia to return to New York. Some of Washington’s troops waited for them at Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey. On the sweltering hot morning of June 28, the battle there started badly for the Americans. They outnumbered the British, but American General Charles Lee seemed confused about what to do.
Washington arrived at the battle and was shocked to see his men retreating. Washington then rallied the troops to form a defensive line. Throughout the day the British attacked and the Americans held them off, helped by the accurate pounding of their artillery. The fighting ended as evening approached, with the Americans suffering about 500 casualties and the British about 1,100. During the night the British pulled out and continued on to New York.
The Battle of Monmouth Courthouse showed the increasing skill of the American troops. But the war for independence was now more than three years old. Many Americans had not expected it to go on so long. Still they were willing to fight on, as the main fighting shifted to the South.
