and his party. This division of the enemy was composed chiefly of the fourth brigade, under General Agnew, and three battalions of the third. The prisoners were rescued; and Matthews, after a desperate defense, and when most of his officers and men were killed and wounded, was compelled to surrender, with his little remnant of about one hundred men. This event enabled two regiments from the enemy's right to march to the relief of Musgrave in Chew's house. These regiments attacked and repulsed a party of Americans who had just entered Germantown in flank. The patriots, unable to discern the numbers of the enemy on account of the intensity of the fog, retired precipitately, leaving a great many of their friends dead and wounded, but taking their artillery with them.
General Grey, now having absolute possession of the village, hastened to the aid of the right wing, which was engaged with the left of Greene's column. Sullivan's division, with a regiment of North Carolinians, commanded by Colonel Armstrong, and assisted by a part of Conway's brigade, having driven the enemy to School-house Lane, in the center of Germantown, found themselves unsupported by other troops, and their ammunition exhausted. They could dimly perceive through the fog that the enemy were collecting in force on the right. At that moment, hearing the cry of a light horseman that the enemy had surrounded them, and perceiving the firing at Chew's house, so far in the rear, the Americans became panic-stricken, and retreated with great precipitation. * The divisions under Greene and Stephen were the last that retreated, and these were covered by Count Tulaski and his legion. The prize of victory was abandoned at the moment when another effort might have secured it. ***
The battle of Germantown, which lasted two hours and forty minutes, was a very severe one, and the loss on both sides was great, considering the numbers engaged and the nature of the conflict. The amount of loss has been variously computed; that of the Americans was estimated by Washington, a fortnight after the battle, *** at about one thousand men in killed, wounded, and missing. **** There were fewer killed on the part of the British, the number probably not exceeding one hundred; while their whole loss, according to Howe s official account of the affair, was, in killed, wounded, and missing, five hundred and thirty-five. (v) Among these were several valuable officers, the most distinguished of whom were General James Agnew (vi) and Lieutenant-colonel Bird. Their remains lie inhumed together,
* Sullivan's letter to Mesheek Weare, president of New Hampshire, in the New York Historical Society; John Eager Howard's letter to Timothy Pickering; Gordon; Boita; Ramsay; Marshall. The latter author was in Woodford's brigade, and describes a portion of this battle from his own observation.
** Washington said, in a letter to the president of Congress, written on the 7th of October, three days after the battle, ''It is with much chagrin and mortification I add, that every account confirms the opinion I at first entertained, that our troops retreated at the instant when victory was declaring herself in our favor. The tumult, disorder, and even despair, which, it seems, had taken place in the British army, were scarcely to be paralleled; and, it is said, so strongly did the idea of a retreat prevail, that Chester was fixed on as a place of rendezvous. I can discover no other cause for not improving this happy opportunity than the extreme haziness of the weather." Writing, at the same time, to Governor Trumbull of Connecticut, Washington said, "But the morning was so excessively foggy, that we could not see the confusion the enemy were in, and the advantage we had gained; and fearing to push too far through a strong village, we retired, after an engagement of two hours, bringing off all our artillery with us. We did not know until after the affair was over how near we were to gaining a complete victory."
*** See letter to his brother, dated October 17th, 1777.
**** According to the report of the Board of War, the Americans lost in killed, 25 Continental officers, commissioned and non-commissioned; wounded, 102, and an equal number missing. The militia officers were 3 killed, 4 wounded, and 11 missing. Of rank and file Continentals, 109 were killed, and 378 wounded; militia, 7 killed, and 19 wounded; artillery officers, 2 killed, and 11 wounded; and matrosses, 6 killed, and 7 wounded. Total of killed, 152; of wounded, 521. Gordon says (ii., 234), "Upward of 400 were made prisoners, among whom were 54 officers." It may here be remarked that the missing men from the army were not necessarily included in the list of the killed, wounded, or prisoners; for many ol those were soldiers who took such opportunities to go home.
* (v) Gordon says that, when the British left Germantown, some torn papers with figures on them were found upon a chimney hearth by the Americans. On putting the pieces together, it was found that they contained the returns of the number and rank of the British killed in the battle. The total was about 800.
* (vi)The following account of the death of General Agnew I copied from a manuscript letter of Alexander Andrew, a servant of that officer, written to the wife of the general from Philadelphia, on the 8th of March, 1778. I give it as an illustration of the character and duties of a body-servant of a British officer at that time. This letter, and several written by Agnew himself to his wife at various times, are in the possession of his grandson, Henry A. Martin, M.D., of Roxbury, Massachusetts. From one of these I copied the annexed signature of General Agnew.
* "Philadelphia, 8th March, 1778.