Battle of Germantown - Holding the Flank: The Queen’s Rangers at Germantown

With 250 years behind us, one story a day is never enough ….

The 4th of October also marks the 249th anniversary of the Battle of Germantown in Pennsylvania.  The battle occurred a month after the British defeated the American Army in the Battle of Brandywine and the capture of the American capital, Philadelphia. Following the occupation of Philadelphia, the British General William Howe moved most of his army out of the capital, leaving a 3000 man garrison.

Upon hearing of the British movements, General George Washington sought to attack the camp, surprising the British force. The west side of the camp was mainly garrisoned by the Hessians under Wilhelm von Knyphausen. On the eastern side of the camp were two brigades of British regulars under General James Grant, who positioned the Queen's Rangers on the far right flank.

On the night of October 3rd, the American force snuck towards the British camp hoping to replicate their success at Trenton the previous December. Because of the darkness that made communicating difficult, as well as the heavy fog in the area, the Americans could not set up their forces before dawn, losing the element of surprise. 

Around 5 AM, the American vanguard opened fire on a British sentry, who retaliated with cannon fire. At first, Howe thought the American soldiers were members of a foraging party until American cannons fired grapeshot, causing the officer to retreat from range.

The 40th Regiment of Foot was cut off from the rest of the British, so they fortified the house of Pennsylvania's Chief Justice. The Americans sent two waves of cannon fire and infantry advances that were repelled. They then tried to smoke out the defenders however, the fire failed to ignite. 

As that was going on, a force led by Brigadier General Anthony Wayne continued forward towards the British. They quickly ran low on ammunition and began to retreat. They met Major General Nathanial Greene's column due to the smoke and fog, assumed that they were British soldiers and opened fire on their comrades resulting in heavy casualties.

At the same time, the Queen's Rangers successfully attacked the force led by General Alexander McDougall, forcing them to retreat. 

The Americans tried to break the British lines in the centre, but a counterattack led by General Cornwallis cut off and captured some American regiments and forced others to retreat. This action began the American withdrawal from the battlefield.