Philadelphia Falls to British Forces

During the British Army's Philadelphia campaign, Philadelphia fell to the British on September 26, 1777, forcing Washington and 12,000 Continental Army troops to retreat to Valley Forge. As many as 2,000 died from disease or starvation over the harsh winter of 1777–1778.

People involved

• Washington

When this happened

Philadelphia Falls to British Forces occurred in September 26, 1777, during the revolutionary era period of American history.

Where this happened

Philadelphia Falls to British Forces took place in Delaware. Explore the full history of Delaware and primary source records from this era.

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) grew from colonial resistance to British taxation without parliamentary representation — a dispute that radicalized through the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767), and the Boston Massacre (1770). Fighting began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775; the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental Army under George Washington faced severe shortages of supplies and troops, enduring the brutal winter at Valley Forge (1777–1778) before French alliance and French financing turned the military balance. Major engagements included Bunker Hill (1775), Trenton (1776), Saratoga (1777) — which secured French intervention — and Yorktown (1781), where British General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. An estimated 25,000 American soldiers died in service, from combat, disease, and captivity. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded British territory east of the Mississippi, though it left unresolved questions about Indigenous land rights and the status of Loyalists.

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia: American Revolution.