Philadelphia Campaign

The Philadelphia Campaign began in 1777 when General William Howe moved the British army from New York towards the American capital. British forces defeated George Washington at Brandywine and occupied Philadelphia in September, while a Continental counterattack at Germantown failed. Fighting continued around the Delaware River forts as the British worked to secure a supply route into the city.

The British remained in Philadelphia through the winter of 1777–1778 while Washington’s army encamped at Valley Forge. Capturing the capital was a major symbolic success, but it did not destroy the Continental Army or end the rebellion. The British evacuated Philadelphia in June 1778 as the strategic direction of the war changed after France entered the conflict.

Bernard Cornwell’s Redcoat is set during the British occupation and the Valley Forge winter. The campaign is particularly useful for fiction about divided families, Loyalists and Patriots, occupied-city life, military discipline, espionage and civilians forced to choose between rival governments.