1. British officers Archibald Robertson and John André both describe the British army’s march to Philadelphia on 8 Dec. in their journal entries. Robertson writes that “at 11 o’clock they [the British troops] were ordered under Arms. The Waggons and heavy Artillery turn’d to the Right About and the Whole Army were off their ground by 1 o’clock on their Return to Philadelphia, and from the Regularity and goodness of the Disposition the Rebels never fired a Shot at our Rear or dared to follow us. The Whole Army got into Philadelphia about 9 o’clock in the Evening. How far this move of the Army may be considered as good or bad I shall not take upon me to determine, as much maybe said for as against it” (Lydenberg, Robertson Diaries description begins Harry Miller Lydenberg, ed. Archibald Robertson, Lieutenant-General Royal Engineers: His Diaries and Sketches in America, 1762–1780. New York, 1930. description ends , 161). André says, however, that the Americans “were soon aware of our retreat, and their Light Troops watched the rear of General Grey’s Column, whose march was much retarded by the insufficiency of the horses and the badness of the roads, over which two 12–pounders he had with him were carried with some difficulty. At the crossroad leading from Abingdon to German Town, a body of Horse and Foot pressed on the rearmost parties and drove them in. The Jägers who had successively formed on each height and filed off to the next, were at this time drawn up on very good ground, in posture of defence. The Rebels formed to a fence and delivered a very brisk fire, but the Light Infantry of the Guards, posting themselves with great readiness, returned their fire and drove them back. Two or three shot from the Jägers’ cannon contributed not a little to rid us of them; not a man on our side was hurt. The march was continued without further inconvenience, and the Troops returned to their several encampments behind the redoubts at Philadelphia” (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 , 70–71). The journal account of Lt. Heinrich Carl Philipp von Feilitzsch of the Hessian jägers confirms that the Americans attacked the rear guard of the retreating British army (Burgoyne, Diaries of Two Ansbach Jaegers description begins Bruce E. Burgoyne, ed. and trans. Diaries of two Ansbach Jaegers: Lieutenant Heinrich Carl Philipp von Feilitzsch and Lieutenant Christian Friedrich Bartholomai. Bowie, Md., 1997. description ends , 29), and Hessian captain Johann Ewald says the jägers suffered two casualties (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 , 109–10).

2. See Maxwell to GW, 1 December.