dated Octr. 5th. 1777.

Extract—from Gl. W—n to a Member of Congress1

A letter wch. accompanies this to congress will give an account of an unsuccessful attack upon the enemy at Germantown yesterday about day break. My extreme fatigue & hurry and indeed want of knowledge of the causes which produced some great & capital disappointments, do not 401allow me to be particular at this time. Things appeared in a very favourable way once, as a column under Genl. Sullivan (who behaved extremely well) continued to gain Ground upon the enemy till we drove them from Allen’s house to Chew’s, and on their left, much lower, thro the encampment of the light Infantry, which was abandoned with their baggage &c. Among other misfortunes that attended us was a heavy hazy atmosphere without a breath of air, so that the smoke of our artillery & small arms often prevented us from seing thirty yards; and this, not for the instant but of long continuance for want of wind to take it off. The causes why the column under* Genls. Green & Smallwood did not get up in time I cannot now assign. Or, why Genl. Armstrong who was to have acted upon the Enemy’s left did not push it, I am at present equally ignorant of. The plan was concerted upon very probable grounds of success, and in the execution things looked well a long time as we continued to gain upon the enemy during the whole action which lasted two hours & 40 minutes. My next to congress will be able to explain matters fully. Till then yr. Judgement must be suspended. The event turned out contrary to expectation; but, we are in no worse condition (except officers & men) than we were.”

*Since writing the above I have seen Genl. Green, whose column it seems had also driven the enemy and were about closing with ours, when, unhappily, (for I can no otherwise account for it) each took the other for fresh troops of the enemy and retreated precipitately. The fog & clouds of smoke contributed to this, as you could scare distinguish objects 50 yards.”

Genl. Nash dead of his wounds two Colonels from Nth. Carolina made prisoners Bunkum & Irvin. Doctr. Weatherspoon’s Son killed. G. Sullivan’s 2 Aids mortally wounded, White & Sherburn Coll.’s Hendricks, Stone & Lt. Coll. Parker wounded. Our Loss about 700 chiefly wounded & taken including the above.

This is not for the press by any means as the Generals. The substance may be given.

of the Enemy

Cols: Bird Abercrombie and Genl. De Huister’s Son Killed Genl. Agnew killed & Lt. Coll. Wolcot. Genl. Kniphausen wounded between 2 & 300 Waggon Loads of wounded carried into Philadelphia.2

RC ; addressed: “Honble. R T Payne Esqr. Boston Public Service York Jas. Lovell”; endorsed.

1.

This letter was written to Benjamin Harrison. The original is missing, but there are other copies of this extract in the Franklin Papers at the American Philosophical Society and in the Charles Carroll Papers at the Maryland Historical Society. It appears in The Papers of George Washington: Revolutionary War Series, 11:401–402.

2.

Following the Sept. 26 loss of Philadelphia to the British, George Washington planned a four-pronged attack on the British at Germantown. Approximately 8,000 Continental troops and 3,000 militiamen faced 9,000 British troops on Oct. 4. In the dense fog and confusion of the day, Washington’s troops panicked and retreated. Cornwallis’s army followed. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. Reported losses were: the Americans, 152 killed, 521 wounded, and over 400 captured; the British, 537 killed and wounded, 14 captured. Among the American generals mentioned in this letter were John Sullivan (1740–1795), Nathanael Greene (1742–1780), William Smallwood (1732–1792), and Francis Nash (d. 1777). Among the British generals were the king’s aide-de-camp James Agnew (d. 1777) and Hessian general, Baron Wilhelm Knyphausen (d. 1777) (Boatner, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, 426–430).

Monday, October 6, 1777

Ordered, That Mr. Paine, Mr. Gray and Mr. Davis of Oxford, be a Committee to bring in a Resolve for abating from the Tax that may be laid the present Year on any Town that shall appear, when a new Valuation of Estates is taken, to be over-rated, and for adding the Tax to such Town as shall appear to be under-rated.

Printed in the Journals of the House of Representatives of Massachusetts, 53, pt. 1:99.

Sir, Exeter October 11th. 1777

At the desire of Mr. Blanchard, and Mr. Peabody our Committee1 to procure Council, & Collect Witnesses for the State on the Trial of the Persons committed for Counterfeiting the Currency &c. our Superior Court at Exeter will be adjourned to Tuesday the Eleventh day of November next, and at Dover till the Tuesday next following 403that, at which times, and places we must Rely on your assistance in behalf of the State.2

By order of the Committee of Safety, I am your very Humble Sert., Meshech Weare3 Chairman

RC ; addressed: “To The Honble: Robert Treat Paine Esqr. in Boston”; endorsed.

1.

Probably a joint committee of the Council and the House of Representatives composed of Jonathan Blanchard of Dunstable and Nathaniel Peabody representing Plaistow and Atkinson (Laws of New Hampshire, 4:65–66).

2.

See State of New Hampshire versus Stephen Holland on the charge of counterfeiting, below (November 1777).

3.

Meshech Weare (1713/4–1786) graduated from Harvard in 1735 and returned to his home in Hampton Falls, N.H., where he eventually succeeded his father as representative to the General Court, judge, and militia colonel. Weare played a major role in all five provincial congresses (1774–1776) and was president pro tempore of two of them. He was chief justice of New Hampshire (1776–1782) ( ANB ).