Who Won the Battle of Germantown?
Howe and the British army won a decisive victory at Germantown. Washington’s army suffered more casualties, and did not succeed in driving the British out of Germantown, or out of Philadelphia. The official numbers diverge, and they can only be estimated. Officially, there were 152 Americans killed, including 30 officers, with 521 Americans wounded. There were also over 400 Americans missing – in summary, over a thousand casualties, in a single morning. The British lost about 70 soldiers killed, and about 535 casualties, total. Although we know in hindsight that Washington’s battle plan at Germantown failed, with the loss of significant casualties, it was a daring, and bold idea – and one that was certainly worth attempting, although it did not succeed on the battlefield on that foggy morning, in October 1777.
