Key Facts
- Dates
- December 5–8, 1777
- Location
- Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania
- Distance from Philadelphia
- ~16 miles north of British-occupied Philadelphia
- Nature of fighting
- Series of skirmish actions, no decisive battle
- Immediate aftermath
- Continental Army withdrew to Valley Forge
Strategic Narrative Overview
On December 4, 1777, British commander General Sir William Howe led a substantial force out of Philadelphia in a final attempt to bring Washington to a decisive engagement and destroy the Continental Army before winter set in. Over four days from December 5 to 8, the two armies clashed in a series of limited skirmishes around Whitemarsh Township. Howe probed American defenses but found Washington's entrenched position too strong to assault directly.
01 / The Origins
Following his defeat at the Battle of Germantown in October 1777, General George Washington encamped the Continental Army in upper Philadelphia County, now Montgomery County, monitoring British movements in the occupied city. In early November, American forces established an entrenched position along the Wissahickon Creek and Sandy Run, on hills between Old York Road and Bethlehem Pike, roughly 16 miles north of Philadelphia, awaiting further British action before the onset of winter.
03 / The Outcome
Finding no opening for a decisive strike, Howe abandoned the offensive and withdrew his forces back to Philadelphia. With the British threat ended, Washington was free to march the Continental Army to winter quarters at Valley Forge, where the army would spend the difficult winter of 1777–1778. The engagement effectively closed the 1777 Philadelphia campaign without a resolution favorable to British aims of destroying the Continental Army.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Gen. Sir William Howe.
Side B
1 belligerent
Gen. George Washington.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.