Germantown, Battle

Germantown, Battle of

(Oct. 4, 1777) Abortive attack in the American Revolution by 11,000 American troops on 9,000 British regulars stationed at Germantown (now part of Philadelphia). George Washington's daring dawn raid, a four-pronged attack, failed partly because of dense fog that confused the American troops into firing on one of their own columns. Despite its failure, this and the colonial victory at the Battle of Saratoga impressed the French with Washington's strategic ability and influenced them to offer military aid.