Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Muhlenberg's and Weedon's brigades prevented the army from being surrounded. Knyphausen crossed at Chadd's Ford in spite of Proctor's artillery and the force under Wayne, which fought until threatened in the rear, and then retired in good order. At nightfall the Americans retreated, having lost about 1,000 men killed and wounded, Lafayette among the latter. Howe's army did not pursue in the darkness, and Washington reached Chester. Thence it went to Germantown and collected provisions and ammunition, battalions of militia meeting it at the Falls of the Schuylkill and Darby, while the public money of Pennsylvania was sent to Easton and the liberty bell and church bells at Philadelphia were sent to Bethlehem, the Market Street bridge removed and the boats at the ferries of the Schuylkill brought to the City side.

On September 14, the Assembly elected to the Continental Congress Joseph Reed, William Clingan, and Dr. Samuel Duffield, vice Jonathan Bayard Smith, resigned, and Wilson and Clymer, superseded.

Washington advancing to the Lancaster road, and Howe and Cornwallis leaving the neighborhood of Chester and making for that road through what is now West Chester and by Goshen Meeting and the Sign of the Boot Inn, which Howe made his headquarters, the two armies on September 16, were drawn up in order of battle near the White Horse inn on the Lancaster road and the Sign of the Boot inn on the road from Chester to Downingtown. There was a fight between Count Donop the Hessian and "Mad Anthony" Wayne without much result. A violent and incessant rain storm prevented any general action. Our army sustained a heavy loss in ammunition, the cartouche boxes being wet through; so it turned aside until a new supply could be obtained. The enemy advanced towards Philadelphia. Tom Paine tried to induce a defense of the city, suggesting a town meeting to be held on the 19th, and asked General Mifflin to take command, but he declined owing to the state of his health. At 1 o'clock in

the morning of the 19th the alarm was given that the British had crossed the Schuylkill. Then all was in confusion. Everybody turned out of bed. The members of. Congress fled to Bethlehem and thence by Reading to Lancaster. That day Washington passed the Schuylkill at Parker's Ford, leaving Wayne with 2,000 men on the west side to fall upon any detachment of the enemy or destroy his baggage. Cornwallis's column encamped within two miles of French creek at the Bull's Head and Mouth. After 10 o'clock that night Wayne at Paoli was surprised by a large force of British under Grey, using their bayonets only, killing and wounding about 400, taking 100 prisoners, losing 3 killed and 7 wounded. From this massacre, Wayne succeeded in saving his reputation by extricating his cannon and two-thirds of his troops. The British Light Infantry and Grenadiers crossed the Schuylkill at Fatland Ford in safety on the morning of the 22nd, but the main body did not cross until after midnight. On the 23d and 24th Howe's headquarters were at Norristown. Washington's army had gone in the direction of Reading. Wharton and his fellow councillors now left Philadelphia and started on their way around to Lancaster. On the 25th the British began an encampment at Germantown, Howe making Stenton his headquarters. On the 26th about 1,500 men under Cornwallis took possession of the city, amid cheers from a good portion of the populace, many women and children turning out to see them. An American flotilla held the river below, but by the rapid construction of batteries was repulsed in an attack the next day, a frigate and a galley being driven ashore. On September 29, Wharton and his councillors arrived at Lancaster, and held their first meeting there. The same day, the members of the Continental Congress left for York, which became the capital for some time of the United States. The Americans on the river Delaware sent down fire rafts with the tide to burn the British men-of-war outside, but the tide turned before it was possible to accomplish their purpose.

Washington, who had moved on September 29 from Pennypacker's mill on the Perkiomen to Skippack, came five miles nearer Philadelphia on October 2, on which day the British captured the American fort at Billingsport. With a well matured plan for defeating the British army, during the absence of the detachment sent against Billingsport, Washington with between 8,000 and 9,000 Continentals besides militia marched towards Germantown on the night of the 3d. Under the command of Sullivan, the divisions of Sullivan and Wayne and the brigade of Conway came by way of Chestnut Hill down what is now Germantown avenue; Armstrong with Pennsylvania militia, down Ridge avenue, to make an attack at the mouth of the Wissahickon; under command of Greene the divisions of Greene and Stephen with McDougall's brigade down the Limekiln Pike; and Smallwood and Forman, down the York Road. After sunrise next morning in a fog the advance party of Sullivan's force surprised the sentries, and attacked the picket at ex-Chief Justice Allen's house at Mt. Airy, but the cannon fired by the picket gave the alarm. Sullivan's division was fairly successful when Wayne's came up, and the light infantry under Münchausen were driven down, the soldiers of Wayne doing great havoc with their bayonets, and in retaliation for the Paoli massacre giving no quarter, in spite of their officers. The stand which Münchausen's Hessians were enabled to make by the accession of the 5th regiment of the 2d brigade was but temporary. Conway on the flank, and Washington with Nash's and Maxwell's brigades under Lord Stirling bore down after Sullivan, and would have made the day fatal to the British, had not Musgrave, colonel of the 40th regiment, with six British companies, stationed himself in the stone dwelling house which had been the residence of Chief Justice Chew. Sullivan and Wayne separated one to the right, the other to the left of this fortress, which Washington called upon to surrender, and in a fruitless attempt to take which so much time was lost that Howe was enabled to reform his lines. Armstrong, reaching the heights of the

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]

Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia

Building erected by the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia. Work started on building, February 5, 1770; occupied in unfinished condition by the Company, January 21, 1771. Building completed 1792. On September 5, 1774, the first Continental Congress met in this Hall

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
« ZurückWeiter »