Honor Saves America Pt. 1

“I heard the bullets whistle, and believe me, there is something charming in the sound.” George Washington

George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, was respected by friend and foe alike for his physical courage.  He was uncommonly, though not uniquely brave.  Washington typified the model of the “lead from the front” officer of the late 18^th century.  The habit of placing himself in front his men in battle often put Washington in real danger of being wounded or killed during battle.  However, Washington’s honor presented no other option; the sound of gunfire drew him like a magnet.  This put him in positions where he could make quick decisions and encourage his troops.  Fortunately for Washington, his courage coincided with remarkable luck.  The battle of Brandywine (Sept. 11, 1777) presented the ultimate test for his good fortune.

The battle of Brandywine was the first major engagement between the British (led by Lieutenant General Sir William Howe) and Washington’s army since the British victory at Long Island in August 1776.  That defeat had resulted in the loss of New York to the Colonial cause for the rest war.  Howe had spent the summer of 1777 attempting to draw Washington into battle, but the American commander had stubbornly refused.  In a final attempt to draw Washington into the open (for what he hoped would be the last battle of the war), Howe embarked 16,000 men at Sandy Hook, NJ, where he hoped to sail his men up the Delaware River to threaten Philadelphia.

Howe’s plans changed when he received faulty intelligence concerning obstructions in the Delaware and as a result decided to enter the Chesapeake Bay, landing at the northernmost point possible and approach Philadelphia overland.   Washington moved to intercept Howe and took up positions at Brandywine Creek, which was the last natural line of defense before the Schuylkill River and Philadelphia.

Among Howe’s officers was Captain Patrick Ferguson.  Ferguson had a brilliant reputation as an officer and inventor.  After becoming interested in musketry, he invented a weapon far superior to the standard Land Pattern (“Brown Bess”) musket.  His weapon was breech loading and weighed a mere 7.5 pounds (compared to the Brown Bess’s 14 pounds).  He demonstrated his rifle’s capabilities to the senior officers in England by firing at a rate of 4 rounds per minute at a target 300 yards away.  He increased the rate of fire to six rounds a minute at a target 100 yards off.  He so impressed his Majesty, King George III, that he was sent to North America with orders to Lord Howe to establish a “Sharp Shooters Corps” to be commanded by Ferguson. Ferguson and his “corps” (consisting of 100 men) were an experimental formation to be tested using the new rifles for one campaign and then returned to their original regiments. They were serving alongside the Queen’s Rangers during the battle of Brandywine. 

Capt. Patrick Ferguson