1. These intercepted letters have not been identified, but see Samuel Smith’s second letter to GW of 3 October.

2. See also General Orders for Attacking Germantown, 3 October.

3. At this place on the draft, which is partly in Robert Hanson Harrison’s writing and partly in Alexander Hamilton’s writing, Harrison first wrote and then struck out the following phrase: “(the time when a Genl Attack was expected).”

4. At this place on the draft Harrison first wrote and then struck out the following text: “They retreated, as far as Mr Chews House, which they occupied and from the Windows did us considerable damage. during this time, I waited with great anxiety to hear from Genls Greene and Armstrong, but received no intelligence, and it was impossible to discover their movements or firing on account of a thick—heavy Fog which prevented our seeing more than Fifty yards.”

5. When Sullivan’s column began the battle by attacking the British 2d Light Infantry at Mount Airy and Mount Pleasant, Lt. Col. Thomas Musgrave marched his 40th Regiment forward from its post near Benjamin Chew’s two-and-a-half-story stone house Cliveden to support them, and he subsequently covered the light infantry’s retreat to the rear past Chew’s house. Finding himself surrounded near the house by the pursuing Americans, Musgrave occupied it with 100 to 120 men from his regiment, hoping to hold out until he could be rescued by troops from Howe’s main line. “Musgrave,” an anonymous British officer says, “immediately ordered all the window-shutters of the ground floor to be shut, as the enemy’s fire would otherwise have been too heavy upon them there: he placed, however, a certain number of men at each window, and at the hall doors, with orders to bayonet every one who should attempt to come in; he disposed of the rest in the two upper stories, and instructed them how to cover themselves, and direct their fire out of the windows” (letter of a British officer, 10 Oct., in Pa. Mag. description begins Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 139 vols. to date. 1877–. description ends , 11 [1887], 112–14).

Adj. Gen. Timothy Pickering wrote in 1826 that he participated in GW’s battlefield discussion with various officers about how to deal with Musgrave’s force. “In the march of the army,” Pickering says, “General Washington, following Sullivan’s column, kept in the road leading to and through Germantown to Philadelphia. When we had entered the northern part of the village, we heard, in advance of us (I was riding by the General’s side), a very heavy fire of musketry. General Sullivan’s divisions, it was evident, were warmly engaged with the enemy; but neither was in sight. This fire, brisk and heavy, continuing, General Washington said to me; ‘I am afraid General Sullivan is throwing away his ammunition; ride forward and tell him to preserve it.’”

After delivering that message to Sullivan, Pickering says, “I rejoined General Washington, who, with General Knox and other officers, was in front of a stone house . . . , next northward of the open field in which Chew’s house stood. I found they were discussing, in Washington’s presence, this question; Whether the whole of our troops then behind should immediately advance, regardless of the enemy in Chew’s house, or first summon them to surrender? General Knox strenuously urged the sending of a summons. Among other things, he said, ‘it would be unmilitary to leave a castle in our rear.’ I answered, ‘Doubtless that is a correct general maxim; but it does not apply in this case. We know the extent of this castle (Chew’s house); and to guard against the danger from the enemy’s sallying, and falling on the rear of our troops, a small regiment may be posted here to watch them; and if they sally, such a regiment will take care of them. But,’ I added, ‘to summon them to surrender will be useless. We are now in the midst of the battle; and its issue is unknown. In this state of uncertainty, and so well secured as the enemy find themselves, they will not regard a summons; they will fire at your flag.’ However, a flag was sent with a summons. Lieutenant [Colonel William] Smith of Virginia, my assistant in the office of adjutant general, volunteered his service to carry it. As he was advancing, a shot from the house gave him a wound of which he died” (Pickering’s letter, 23 Aug. 1826, in North American Review description begins North American Review. Boston, 1815–. description ends , 23 [1826], 425–30; see also Pickering and Upham, Life of Pickering description begins Octavius Pickering and Charles W. Upham. The Life of Timothy Pickering. 4 vols. Boston, 1867–73. description ends , 1:168–69).

Capt. Henry Lee of the light dragoons, who also was present at the discussion, says in his memoirs that “many junior officers, at the head of whom were Colonel Pickering and Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton, urged with zeal the propriety of passing the house. Brigadier Knox opposed the measure with earnestness, denouncing the idea of leaving an armed force in the rear; and, being always high in the general’s [GW’s] confidence, his opinion prevailed” (Lee, Memoirs description begins Henry Lee. Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States. New ed. New York, 1869. description ends , 96; see also Charles Cotesworth Pinckney to Henry Johnson, 14 Nov. 1820, in Historical Magazine description begins Historical Magazine, and Notes and Queries concerning the Antiquities, History, and Biography of America. 23 vols. Morrisania, N.Y., 1857–75. description ends , 10 [1866], 202–4). Another cavalry officer who was present, Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge, says in his memoirs that “through the importunity of Gen. Knox (which I distinctly heard), Gen. Washington permitted him to bring his field artillery to bear upon it [Chew’s house], but without effect” (Tallmadge, Memoir description begins Memoir of Col. Benjamin Tallmadge, Prepared by Himself, at the Request of his Children. 1858. Reprint. New York, 1968. description ends , 23).

The four small field cannon that the Americans had available smashed the windows and doors of Chew’s house, but they were not powerful enough to demolish its stone walls (see Chastellux, Travels in North America description begins Marquis de Chastellux. Travels in North America in the Years 1780, 1781 and 1782. Translated and edited by Howard C. Rice, Jr. 2 vols. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1963. description ends , 1:138–41). Infantry attacks against the house by the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment and the 1st and 3d New Jersey Regiments were beaten back with heavy losses (see Markland, “Revolutionary Services,” 107–8; Elias Dayton, “Notes on the Battle of Germantown,” in Dayton, “Papers,” 185; and Asher Holmes to Sarah Holmes, 6 Oct., in N.J. Hist. Soc. Proceedings description begins Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society. 84 vols. Newark, N.J., 1845–1966. description ends , new ser., 7 [1922], 34–35). “To do them justice,” a British officer said of the Americans, “they attacked with great intrepidity, but were received with no less firmness; the fire from the upper windows was well directed and continued; the rebels nevertheless advanced, and several of them were killed with bayonets getting in at the windows and upon the steps, attempting to force their way in at the door” (letter of a British officer, 10 Oct., in Pa. Mag. description begins Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 139 vols. to date. 1877–. description ends , 11 [1887], 112–14; see also Baurmeister, Revolution in America description begins Carl Leopold Baurmeister. Revolution in America: Confidential Letters and Journals, 1776–1784, of Adjutant General Major Baurmeister of the Hessian Forces. Translated and annotated by Bernhard A. Uhlendorf. New Brunswick, N.J., 1957. description ends , 120). Hessian jäger captain Ewald, who visited Chew’s house the day after the battle, says that he “counted seventy-five dead Americans, some of whom lay stretched in the doorways, under the tables and chairs, and under the windows, among whom were seven officers. The rooms of the house were riddled by cannonballs, and looked like a slaughter house because of the blood splattered around” (Ewald, Diary description begins Johann Ewald. Diary of the American War: A Hessian Journal. Translated and edited by Joseph P. Tustin. New Haven and London, 1979. description ends , 96; see also “Morton Diary,” description begins “The Diary of Robert Morton, Kept in Philadelphia While That City Was Occupied by the British Army in 1777.” Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 1 (1877): 1–39. description ends 14–15). Musgrave’s regiment, which left Chew’s house when the Americans retreated and joined in the pursuit, had 4 men killed, 29 officers and men wounded, and 3 men missing in the battle (Kemble Papers description begins [Stephen Kemble]. The Kemble Papers. 2 vols. New York, 1884-85. In Collections of the New-York Historical Society, vols. 16–17. description ends , 1:137).

“The usually so-called ‘Clever Washington,’” Captain Ewald wrote in retrospect, “should have used a battalion for [attacking Chew’s house] and continued his advance” (Ewald, Diary description begins Johann Ewald. Diary of the American War: A Hessian Journal. Translated and edited by Joseph P. Tustin. New Haven and London, 1979. description ends , 93). Most officers on both sides who critiqued the battle agree that GW paid far too much attention to Musgrave’s stubbornly defended bastion, thereby breaking the momentum of the American advance and giving Howe time to organize a counterattack with the brigades from his main line (see particularly Henry Miller to his family, 10 Oct., in Watts, “Memoir of Henry Miller,” description begins Henry Miller Watts. “A Memoir of General Henry Miller.” Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 11 (1887): 341–45; 12 (1888): 425–31. description ends 12:426–27; Lacey, “Memoirs,” 105–6; Tallmadge, Memoir description begins Memoir of Col. Benjamin Tallmadge, Prepared by Himself, at the Request of his Children. 1858. Reprint. New York, 1968. description ends , 23; and Muenchhausen, At General Howe’s Side description begins Friedrich von Muenchhausen. At General Howe’s Side, 1776–1778: The Diary of General William Howe’s Aide de Camp, Captain Friedrich von Muenchhausen. Translated by Ernst Kipping. Annotated by Samuel Smith. Monmouth Beach, N.J., 1974. description ends , 38). Many accounts of the battle, however, also support GW’s view that the confusion caused by the heavy fog and smoke on the battlefield was a crucial factor in delaying and disrupting the American attack (see note 7). Other reasons cited for the American failure at Germantown include the slowness with which Sullivan’s brigades deployed, the delay in the beginning of Greene’s attack, the exhaustion of the troops and their ammunition, and the disorganization of the American formations resulting from men breaking rank to assist the wounded off the field and the necessity of crossing numerous man-made and natural obstacles (see particularly Sullivan’s account in the source note; Pickering and Upham, Life of Pickering description begins Octavius Pickering and Charles W. Upham. The Life of Timothy Pickering. 4 vols. Boston, 1867–73. description ends , 1:170–71; and Pickering’s letter, 23 Aug. 1826, in North American Review description begins North American Review. Boston, 1815–. description ends , 23 [1826], 425–30).

Henry Lee discerned four “deeper causes” of the turn of events at Germantown: “the yet imperfect discipline of the American army,” the lack of adequate logistical support of the Continental army during the months preceding the battle, “the inexperience of the tribe of generals,” and “the complication of the plan of assault—a complication said to have been unavoidable” (Lee, Memoirs description begins Henry Lee. Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States. New ed. New York, 1869. description ends , 26:96; see also Chastellux, Travels in North America description begins Marquis de Chastellux. Travels in North America in the Years 1780, 1781 and 1782. Translated and edited by Howard C. Rice, Jr. 2 vols. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1963. description ends , 1:140–41, and André, Journal description begins John André. Major André’s Journal: Operations of the British Army under Lieutenant Generals Sir William Howe and Sir Henry Clinton, June 1777 to November 1778. 1930. Reprint. New York, 1968. description ends , 57).

6. At this place on the draft Hamilton first wrote and then struck out the following phrase: “which was essential to the Success of the enterprise.”

7. During the fighting at Chew’s house, Col. Elias Dayton later wrote, “came on perhaps the thickest fog known in the memory of man, which, together with the smoke, brought on almost midnight darkness, it was not possible at one time (I believe for the space of near half an hour) to distinguish friend from foe five yards distance. This obliged all our parties to give over the pursuit, as they were in danger of firing upon their friends, and probably did several times before the fire ceased” (Dayton, “Notes on the Battle of Germantown,” in Dayton, “Papers,” 185). “The foggy, still morning,” Pickering says in his journal, “and the body of smoke from the firing, absolutely prevented our seeing the enemy till they had advanced close upon us. This also prevented the two wings, and even the different brigades of the same wing, from seeing each other and coöperating in the best manner; nay, I am persuaded they sometimes fired on each other, particularly at Chew’s house, where the left wing supposed the cannon-balls fired by the right [wing] at the house came from the enemy. In a word, our disaster was imputed, chiefly to the fog and the smoke, which, from the stillness of the air, remained a long time, hanging low and undissipated. But, on the other hand, it must be remembered, that the fog blinded the enemy as well as ourselves, though it certainly injured us most” (Pickering and Upham, Life of Pickering description begins Octavius Pickering and Charles W. Upham. The Life of Timothy Pickering. 4 vols. Boston, 1867–73. description ends , 1:169–70; see also General Orders, 5 Oct.; GW to Benjamin Harrison, 5 Oct.; letter of an American officer, 6 Oct., in Pa. Mag. description begins Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 139 vols. to date. 1877–. description ends , 11 [1887], 330–32; Henry Miller to his family, 10 Oct., in Watts, “Memoir of Henry Miller,” 12:426–27; T. Will Heth to John Lamb, 12 Oct., in Commager and Morris, Spirit of ’Seventy-Six description begins Henry Steele Commager and Richard B. Morris, eds. The Spirit of ’Seventy-Six: The Story of the American Revolution as Told by Participants. 2 vols. Indianapolis and New York, 1958. description ends , 629–30; Muenchhausen, At General Howe’s Side description begins Friedrich von Muenchhausen. At General Howe’s Side, 1776–1778: The Diary of General William Howe’s Aide de Camp, Captain Friedrich von Muenchhausen. Translated by Ernst Kipping. Annotated by Samuel Smith. Monmouth Beach, N.J., 1974. description ends , 38–39; and letter of a British officer, 10 Oct., in Pa. Mag. description begins Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 139 vols. to date. 1877–. description ends , 11 [1887], 112–14).

8. Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge of the 2d Continental Light Dragoons says in his memoir that “notwithstanding all our attempts to rally the retiring troops, it seemed impossible to effect it, even by the presence of the Commander-in-Chief. I threw my squadron of horse across the road, by order of Gen. Washington, repeatedly to prevent the retreat of the infantry; but it was ineffectual” (Tallmadge, Memoir description begins Memoir of Col. Benjamin Tallmadge, Prepared by Himself, at the Request of his Children. 1858. Reprint. New York, 1968. description ends , 23; see also Pickering’s letter, 23 Aug. 1826, in North American Review description begins North American Review. Boston, 1815–. description ends , 23 [1826], 425–30).

9. The return of American casualties at Germantown that GW enclosed in his letter to Hancock of 7 Oct. has not been identified. In his letter to Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., of 7 Oct., GW estimated the number of American killed and wounded in the battle as “upwards of three hundred,” and in his letter to William Heath of 8 Oct. he increased that number to “near four hundred.” On 18 Oct. GW wrote his brother John Augustine Washington that “our loss in the late action was, in killed, wounded, and Missing, about 1,000.” The Board of War reported American losses at Germantown as 152 men killed and 521 men wounded, and as many as 400 men were captured or missing (see Gordon, History description begins William Gordon. The History of the Rise, Progress, and Establishment, of the Independence of the United States of America: Including an Account of the Late War; and of the Thirteen Colonies, from Their Origin to That Period. 4 vols. New York, 1788. description ends , 2:234, and Howe to Germain, 10 Oct. 1777, in Davies, Documents of the American Revolution description begins K. G. Davies, ed. Documents of the American Revolution, 1770–1783; (Colonial Office Series). 21 vols. Shannon and Dublin, 1972–81. description ends , 14:202–9). Gen. Francis Nash, who was wounded in the thigh by a cannonball, died three days after the battle, and he was buried on 9 Oct. (see General Orders, 9 Oct.; see also John Armstrong to Thomas Wharton, Jr., 5 Oct., in Pa. Archives description begins Samuel Hazard et al., eds. Pennsylvania Archives. 9 ser., 138 vols. Philadelphia and Harrisburg, 1852–1949. description ends , 1st ser., 5:645–46, and Elias Dayton, “Notes on the Battle of Germantown,” in Dayton, “Papers,” 183–85).

Howe’s army had 70 officers and men killed, 450 officers and men wounded, and 14 officers and men missing (Kemble Papers description begins [Stephen Kemble]. The Kemble Papers. 2 vols. New York, 1884-85. In Collections of the New-York Historical Society, vols. 16–17. description ends , 1:137). Gen. James Agnew and Lt. Col. John Bird of the 15th Regiment were among the four British officers who were killed at Germantown (see Howe to Germain, 10 Oct. 1777, in Davies, Documents of the American Revolution description begins K. G. Davies, ed. Documents of the American Revolution, 1770–1783; (Colonial Office Series). 21 vols. Shannon and Dublin, 1972–81. description ends , 14:202–9).