Based on soldiers' and civilians' vivid accounts—many uncovered for the first time from private collections—the story of the compelling fight for independence reaches its most desperate moments. This second in a two-volume set follows the saga from Cornwallis's triumphal march of his British and Hessian troops into Philadelphia in late September to Washington's movement of the weary Continental forces to camp at Valley Forge in December.
Defeated at Brandywine, the Continental forces were worn out and ill equipped. Yet on October 4, Washington embarked on his first major offensive of the war—a surprise attack at dawn on Howe's main camp at Germantown. Only narrowly defeated, the Continentals gained valuable experience and new confidence in the possibility of victory. The seige of the Delaware River forts—one of the bloodiest and prolonged battles of the war—ended with British success in mid-November, but still Howe failed to end the war. He tried unsuccessfully to draw Washington from the fortified hills of Whitemarsh. As the Continental forces moved to Valley Forge for the winter, they would have to face their greatest challenge—survival.