Tuesday, October 9, 2012

A Blue Day for the Colonists

The Battle of Germantown 1777 

A little redcoat

October 4 marked the anniversary of 
the US Revolutionary War Battle of Germantown. 


Germantown was an outlying town of Philadelphia.
The latter was the colonists' capital city and in 1777 the British were in control of it.


Today Germantown, now part of Philadelphia, is in need of serious revitalization.
It has such a rich history
but the beautiful architecture is falling into disrepair
and the area is riddled with crime.


But back in 1777 the battle was between
the independence minded American colonists and the British.  



The colonists, led by George Washington, 
made a pseudo - surprise attack on the British forces led by William Howe. 

Yeah, I was that close. My ears were ringing!

The heavy fog in the morning led to confusion, delays
and miscommunication. 


But the colonists advanced and forced the British 
to take cover in the Chew House which still stands. 


Even with Canon fire
the colonists were not able to breakthrough the barricaded house.
Both sides suffered heavy losses and
the colonists eventually retreated.

Firing on the colonists. 

It was after this battle that the French began to help the colonists
who took winter refuge in Valley Forge, PA.

 Hessian Re enactors

 The colonists were poorly outfitted and poorly trained. 
A sorry sight against the red coated British soldiers
and the gleaming Hessians. 


 With renewed fervor 
and the help of the French 
the colonists eventually won the war.


And today we are 
a Democratic Republic called 
The United States of America.

10 comments:

Tina´s PicStory said...

great shots of an old nice city :)

EG CameraGirl said...

Great post, Rebecca. Too bad an area so rich in history is in disrepair.

Kathy said...

You do such great reenactment photos. I had to chuckle at one of the photos in this post. Those Hessians (at least the modern-day ones) have been drinking way too much beer!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Nice, it would be great if the town were to figure out a way to revive itself.

Jim said...

Very nice, Rebecca!!! Your pictures are soooo clear and the colors are gorgeous.

I was that close to an explosion many years back and my ears have been ringing ever since. I hope yours recover.
..
BTW, your Midweek Blues label is missing today. Our links don't pick this post up.
..

Mari said...

Thanks for stopping at my blog!
My family loves this sort of thing - we're all history buffs. This re-enactment looks like a fun thing to be at. Your pictures are awesome!

Out on the prairie said...

What a nice post,I really enjoyed your church shot with the clouds.

jesh StG said...

Rebecca, link no. 11 is misguided! Sorry, you may delete that one (if you have time) -glad to have something blue this week:)

joanne said...

Always something to learn or re-learn in your posts, with great pics to complement.....

James said...

Great post! I really enjoyed it!