Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month July 1777
By Compatriot Andrew "Andy" Stough
Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR
Burgoyne and St. Leger move south; Clinton stays in New York but where is Howe?
July 1777 arrived and with it the first anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I find no references of any celebration on this first anniversary. After all, it was as yet only a statement of intention - not yet a statement of deliverance and actual independence.
There was little or no activity between General George Washington and British Commander-in-Chief William Howe. Washington was in both a defensive and offensive position, both the hunter and the hunted.
He was in a quandary as to what action to take. He wanted to defeat Howe but could not as long as Howe could not be lured out of New York. At the same time he had to hold onto the territory that he had.
There were some things that Washington knew and some that he could not know. Intelligence reports told him that British General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne with 8,000 men departed Quebec in June and was coming by way of Lake Champlain towards Fort Ticonderoga. Probably with the idea of seizing Albany. He knew too that British Colonel Barry St. Leger with a second force was coming from Oswego by way of the Mohawk Valley, probably to link up with Burgoyne in a drive to Albany and the Hudson. Howe was the unknown quantity. All that was known of Howe was that he was still in New York with a reinforced army and a large fleet of ships. What did it all mean? Surely, he would embark up the Hudson River to meet Burgoyne? Such a move, if, successful would divide the colonies.
Washington didn't have an inkling of what Howe was up to. He was receiving no intelligence from inside the city and nothing was apparent to watchers outside the city. If he moved up the Hudson and was wrong he would be too far out of position to block a move on Philadelphia, should that occur.
To cover any eventuality he aligned his army in three forces. One army in the north near Albany, another in the south to protect Philadelphia. He remained in the center with the main army able to react in either direction.
On July 8th, Washington received word that Howe was loading transports and warships with supplies for 30 days and embarking 15 to 18 thousand men, including cavalry with their horses. Action, at last! Whatever it might be, this was what Washington was waiting for. Thinking this meant a move up the Hudson to Albany in support of Burgoyne, he moved his main army north to counter Howe. He was in a good position to block a movement up river but was caught flat footed, when, on July 23, Howe with a fleet of 260 transports and warships set sail. Not, up the Hudson to support Burgoyne but seaward.
Washington was confounded; had he stuck his neck out moving north? Or, was this just a ruse to draw his forces south while Howe would spend a few days or a week at sea, returning to sail up the Hudson to Albany unimpeded by Washington?
British General Sir Henry Clinton had remained in New York with 7,000 men. Washington did not consider him a threat as he could be countered by troops and militia based in New England. Howe was the real problem. Only if Howe sailed north to invade New England would Clinton be a threat. But, why would Howe load stores for thirty days to invade New England? It had to be Philadelphia!
Washington, guessing again, hurried south in case of a landing using the Delaware river. Days passed with no sign of Howe. Finally the fleet was sighted off the Delaware capes where it remained a few days and departed there on July 31st. Washington now wondered if he might have been lured there to leave both Philadelphia and the Hudson unguarded. But, which would it be?
While Howe was in New York he was watched inside the city by people loyal to the cause of independence, movements outside the city were watched and contested by local militia, minutemen and citizens. With Howe and the fleet at sea there was no way of watching his movements. Washington must depend upon coast watchers to give timely information on sightings of the fleet and couriers to relay the sighting.
Any action observed of Howe's preparations or movement was soon known by Washington. Couriers moved fast and securely to deliver messages; other than resident Tories, there was no British presence from New York City to Charleston.
Burgoyne’s plans depended on Howe to support his march to the Hudson. Lord George Germaine in England had ordered Howe to support Burgoyne and to take Philadelphia but left implementation up to Howe.
Why did Howe abandon Burgoyne? He could have divided his forces and accomplished both goals or have supported Burgoyne to isolate New England and then attack Philadelphia. It appears to be a question that if answered was never recorded. (Editor's note: For more information on General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne, click here.)
Burgoyne had given orders for Indians to capture soldiers from Fort Ticonderoga and return them alive and well to be interrogated for information about the Fort. On June 17th, British, Indians and rangers captured two men outside the fort. Returned to Fort St. John’s it developed that one, James MacIntosh, was a former Redcoat who had been living near the fort and was well versed in not only all daily operations but all the defenses and weaknesses of the fort. With this information Burgoyne was able to dispossess the Americans without firing a shot.
By June 28th, Indians, “Thick as mosquitoes”, were seen near the fort by General St. Clair’s scouts, a number of whom were either killed or captured by Indians. It soon became apparent that there was activity on Sugar Hill ( Mt. Defiance) from which cannon could lay fire not only on Ticonderoga but it’s fortified location on Mount Independence. Like the French at Dien Ben Phu in Vietnam, American experts had previously warned the generals of the danger and had been ignored. Neither the French nor our ancestors in the War of the Revolution thought that cannon could be taken to the top of the hill. But it could be done, and was done. On July 6th, Ticonderoga and Mount Independence were invested by Burgoyne and his army of Indians, Hessians and Redcoats.
We leave July 1777 with Ticonderoga having fallen and Major General Philip Schuyler retreating before Burgoyne. By July 31, Schuyler had retreated across the Hudson to Stillwater, only 30 miles north of Albany. Meanwhile, the fleet under Admiral Howe, General Howe's elder brother, had been sighted off the Delaware capes where it lingered a few days, then on July 31st departed again for parts unknown.
Monetary support from France and Spain made Washington as well equipped as he would ever be during the conflict. He now commanded 9,000 men, several thousand militia and an uncounted number of Minutemen who would respond on short notice. Personnel-wise he was in the best shape ever.
It was the monetary support from France and Spain that helped make Washington as well equipped as he would ever be. Arts & Entertainment television in the Biography of French Monarch Louis XV, attributes the cost of that support for the American Revolution as a contributing factor that led to his downfall and death at the Guillotine.
Historians have with great pride noted that it was our war and that we basically fought it ourselves. Although, in the later stages and at a critical time we did have formal military intervention on our soil by France. Still, America must always be morally indebted to those Europeans, who, whatever their motive, gave aid to our Revolution against King George III. But while the army was better manned, equipped and financed than at any previous time, it was still in dire need of even some of the bare necessities of life.
References: Christopher Ward's “War of the Revolution”; Marcus Cunliffe's "George Washington, Man and Monument", Richard Ketchum's "Saratoga", and James Flexner's "George Washington, The Indispensable Man".
Back to American Revolution Month-by-Month Articles