147.  The Loss of Philadelphia, 1777.—­For some months after the battle of Princeton there was little fighting.  But in the summer of 1777, Howe set out to capture Philadelphia.  Instead of marching across New Jersey, he placed his army on board ships, and sailed to Chesapeake Bay.  As soon as Washington learned what Howe was about, he marched to Chad’s Ford, where the road from Chesapeake Bay to Philadelphia crossed Brandywine Creek.  Howe moved his men as if about to attempt to cross the ford.  Meantime he sent Cornwallis with a strong force to cross the creek higher up.  Cornwallis surprised the right wing of the American army, drove it back, and Washington was compelled to retreat.  Howe occupied Philadelphia and captured the forts below the city.  Washington tried to surprise a part of the British army which was posted at Germantown.  But accidents and mist interfered.  The Americans then retired to Valley Forge—­a strong place in the hills not far from Philadelphia.

[Sidenote:  The army at Valley Forge, 1777-78.]

[Illustration:  “The Glorious WASHINGTON and GATES.”  FROM TITLE-PAGE OF AN ALMANAC OF 1778.  To show condition of wood-engraving in the Revolutionary era.]

[Sidenote:  Baron Steuben.]

148.  The Army at Valley Forge, 1777-78.—­The sufferings of the soldiers during the following winter can never be overstated.  They seldom had more than half enough to eat.  Their clothes were in rags.  Many of them had no blankets.  Many more had no shoes.  Washington did all he could do for them.  But Congress had no money and could not get any.  At Valley Forge the soldiers were drilled by Baron Steuben, a Prussian veteran.  The army took the field in 1778, weak in numbers and poorly clad.  But what soldiers there were were as good as any soldiers to be found anywhere in the world.  During that winter, also, an attempt was made to dismiss Washington from chief command, and to give his place to General Gates.  But this attempt ended in failure.

[Sidenote:  Burgoyne’s campaign, 1777. Eggleston, 178-179; McMaster, 139-140; Source-Book, 154-157.]

[Sidenote:  Schuyler and Gates.]

149.  Burgoyne’s March to Saratoga, 1777.—­While Howe was marching to Philadelphia, General Burgoyne was marching southward from Canada.  It had been intended that Burgoyne and Howe should seize the line of the Hudson and cut New England off from the other states.  But the orders reached Howe too late, and he went southward to Philadelphia.  Burgoyne, on his part, was fairly successful at first, for the Americans abandoned post after post.  But when he reached the southern end of Lake Champlain, and started on his march to the Hudson, his troubles began.  The way ran through a wilderness.  General Schuyler had had trees cut down across its woodland paths and had done his work so well that it took Burgoyne about a day to march a mile and a half.  This gave the Americans time to gather from all quarters and bar his southward way.  But many of the soldiers had no faith in Schuyler and Congress gave the command to General Horatio Gates.