Battle of Cooch's Bridge

Part of the American Revolutionary War

Date	September 3, 1777
Location	Iron Hill, Delaware
Result	British victory

Belligerents

United States

Great Britain

German auxiliaries

Commanders

Brig. Gen. William Maxwell

Lt. Col. Ludwig von Wurmb

Strength

450 militia^[1]

720^[2]

Casualties and losses

40 killed and wounded^[3]

30 killed and wounded^[4]

v • d • e Philadelphia campaign 1777–1778

Staten Island – Cooch's Bridge – Brandywine – Paoli – Germantown – Red Bank – Gloucester – White Marsh – Matson's Ford – Valley Forge – Quinton's Bridge – Crooked Billet – Barren Hill – Monmouth

The Battle of Cooch's Bridge was a minor skirmish action between American militia and Hessian troops during the American Revolutionary War.

1 Background
2 Battle
3 Footnotes
4 References
5 Further reading

Background

On August 25, 1777, a large British army under the command of William Howe landed at the Head of Elk in Maryland with the objective to march northward and capture the Colonial capital of Philadelphia. During the advance into Delaware, British light infantry and German Jaegers provided the advance guard, patrolling the areas in the advance of the British army and gathering intelligence of the terrain and of enemy movements. George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, had only about 1,000 Pennsylvania and Delaware militia, under the command of William Maxwell, with which to patrol the area in the path of the British army.

Battle

On September 3, 1777, the advance guard of the British army, which included over 400 Jaeger Hessians under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel von Wurmb clashed with American militia. The Hessians formed a front as they approached a wooded area near the small town of Iron Hill, some 5-6 miles from Newark, Delaware. After a charge, the Jaegers drove off the American light militia into the woods, as the British 1st and 2nd Light Infantry battalions joined in the fray, with the British Grenadiers in their rear. After a fierce, close-quarters fight in the wooded area, Maxwell's men withdrew towards Cooch's Bridge, their line of retreat. Here they met the right wing of Jaegers under the command of Captain Wreden.

At Cooch's Bridge, Maxwell's men kept up an effective skirmishing fire, but the 2nd Light Infantry formed up on the Jaegers right and drove them from their positions and across the bridge. The Jaegers and British Light Infantry then rested, having succeeded in securing the area.

The British suffered 30 killed and wounded and the Americans suffered 30 killed and wounded.

This was the first and only revolutionary battle that was fought in the colony of Delaware. An interesting footnote, General Cornwallis had his horses "stabled" inside the Cooch manor. They were kept in the dining room adjacent to the kitchen.

The Cooch family holds an annual family reunion based around the battle and there have been extensive reenactments that take place on a yearly basis. In 2003 to mark the 225 anniversary of the battle, the Cooch family had its largest reunion to date. Family from across the country including Washington state to Louisiana made the trip and celebrated the rich tradition the family has in the United States.

Footnotes

^ Martin p.47
^ Martin p.47
^ Martin p.47
^ Martin p.47

References

Martin, David G. The Philadelphia Campaign: June 1777–July 1778. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Books, 1993. ISBN 0-938289-19-5. 2003 Da Capo reprint, ISBN 0-306-81258-4.

Battle of Cooch's Bridge

Contents

Background

Battle

Footnotes

References

Further reading