Cooch's Bridge is a historic district located at
Old Baltimore Pike,
Newark,
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
, and is the site of the 1777 Battle of Cooch's Bridge. While there are several modern bridges near the site of the battle, the original bridge was in poor shape in 1777, and did not survive the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
.
Battle of Cooch's Bridge
Fought on September 3, 1777, the Battle of Cooch's Bridge has two principal distinctions. It was the only battle of the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
fought on Delaware soil, and has been called the first time that the
Stars and Stripes was flown in battle. This second claim is based on circumstantial evidence and has since been called into question.
The battle was fought between British and
Hessian troops under Generals
Cornwallis,
Howe, and
Knyphausen and the Colonial troops under
General Washington.
The engagement began August 30, about two miles (3 km) south of the bridge. The Americans harried the lead forces of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
using guerrilla techniques learned from the
Native Americans. However, the roughly 700 Colonials were greatly outmanned and outgunned, and were driven back by the advancing British.
By September 3 the Colonials had dropped back to Cooch's Bridge. A handpicked regiment of 100 marksmen under General William Maxwell laid an ambush in the surrounding cover. Over the ensuing battle, several British and
Hessian charges were repelled, but the Americans soon depleted their ammunition and called a retreat.
The property was taken by the British and several buildings were burned. General Cornwallis used the Cooch house as his headquarters for the next week as the British regrouped. American casualties numbered around 30.
Shortly after General Howe moved his troops out. On September 11 he defeated the Colonials in the
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Am ...
and subsequently captured the Colonial capital of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
.
Signage
There are two sets of monuments/signs:
* in the Pencader Heritage Museum parking lot:
* across the railroad tracks on Dayett Mills Road, just south of the Old Baltimore Pike:
See also
*
*
References
External links
*http://www.classbrain.com/artmonument/publish/coochs_bridge_battlefield_history.shtml
*https://web.archive.org/web/20050907131301/http://www.revolutionaryday.com/usroute202/coochs/default.htm
{{National Register of Historic Places in Delaware
Buildings and structures in Newark, Delaware
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware
Bridges in New Castle County, Delaware
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware
National Register of Historic Places in New Castle County, Delaware