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4 October in military history: the Battle of Germantown, 1777

Military history · 4 October · American Revolutionary WarFull calendar

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Map marking the battle site: Germantown, Philadelphia, USA
Location: Germantown, Philadelphia, USA. Location map: © Echoes of Battle (data: Natural Earth, public domain)
Quick answer

On 4 October 1777, after the British occupied Philadelphia, George Washington sent the Continental Army against the main British camp at Germantown, a village north of the city. His plan sent separate columns down several roads to strike together at dawn. At first it worked: the British picket and light infantry gave way. Then a heavy fog, British soldiers barricaded in a stone mansion, the Chew House, and American units firing on each other broke the attack apart, and Washington's army withdrew. The British won the day, yet that December the French minister Vergennes told American envoys that nothing had struck him so much as Washington's attack on Howe's army.

Battle of Germantown, 1777: Washington's bold gamble

4 October 1777 · 249 years ago

On 4 October 1777, days after losing Philadelphia, George Washington threw his Continental Army at the British camp at Germantown in an ambitious four-column dawn attack.

Read the full story of Battle of Germantown, 1777: Washington's bold gamble ›

Battle of Wittstock, 1636: Banér and Leslie restore Sweden's fortunes

4 October 1636 · 390 years ago

Near Wittstock in Brandenburg, Johan Banér's Swedish army fought the combined Imperial and Saxon forces of Melchior von Hatzfeldt and Elector John George I in the Thirty Years' War. The Swedes won one of their greatest victories there, though at a heavy cost.

Read the full story of Battle of Wittstock, 1636: Banér and Leslie restore Sweden's fortunes ›

Frequently asked questions

When and where was the Battle of Germantown?

It was fought on 4 October 1777 at Germantown, then a village north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolutionary War.

Who fought at Germantown?

George Washington's Continental Army attacked the British army under General Sir William Howe. Washington's column commanders included John Sullivan, Anthony Wayne, Nathanael Greene and Adam Stephen.

Why did Washington's attack fail?

The fog kept the Americans from exploiting their early gains and led units to mistake one another for the enemy: according to the American Battlefield Trust, a brigade under Adam Stephen fired on Wayne's men. British soldiers held out in the stone Chew House, and Sullivan's troops were running out of ammunition. The Americans retreated.

How many men were lost at Germantown?

The sources differ. The American Battlefield Trust gives roughly 700 Americans killed and wounded, 400 captured and more than 500 British casualties. Sullivan put the American loss at less than seven hundred, mostly wounded.

Why did a lost battle matter?

Congress thanked Washington for the attack, and the French minister Vergennes told the American commissioners in December 1777 that nothing had struck him so much as Washington attacking Howe's army. The United States allied with France in February 1778.

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