The Battle of Matson's Ford was a battle in the

Philadelphia campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to dra ...

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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

fought on December 11, 1777 in the area surrounding Matson's

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

(present-day

Conshohocken Conshohocken ( ; Lenape: ''Kanshihàkink'') is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry in ...

and

West Conshohocken West Conshohocken is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,320 at the 2010 census. Its sister community is Conshohocken, located across the Schuylkill River. Montgomery County's seat, Norristown, is l ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

). In this series of minor skirmish actions, advance patrols of

Pennsylvania militia The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 pe ...

encountered a British foraging expedition and were overrun. The British pushed ahead to Matson's Ford, where units of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

were making their way across the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

. The Americans retreated to the far side, destroying their temporary bridge across the Schuylkill. The British left the area the next day to continue foraging elsewhere; the Continentals crossed the river at Swede's Ford (present-day

Norristown Norristown may mean: * Norristown, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home ...

), a few miles upriver from Matson's Ford.

Background

Following the British capture of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in a 1776 campaign, British commander Lieutenant General

General William Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB PC (10 August 172912 July 1814) was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three brot ...

turned his thoughts to capturing the seat of the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. In July 1777 he embarked about 18,000 troops on transports in New York, and sailed to the northern reaches of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

. Landing his troops there in late August, he defeated the

of General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

at the September 11

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 William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, Sir William Howe on September& ...

, and occupied Philadelphia without opposition on September 25 after Washington was forced to retreat west of the city. In early December 1777, General Howe led a sizable contingent of troops out of British-occupied

in one last attempt to destroy Washington's army before the onset of winter. At the

Battle of White Marsh The Battle of White Marsh or Battle of Edge Hill was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought December 5–8, 1777, in the area surrounding Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania. The battle, which took the form ...

(December 5–8), Washington successfully repelled the British attacks, and Howe returned to Philadelphia without engaging Washington in a decisive conflict. After the battle, Washington and his troops remained encamped at White Marsh.

Prelude

On December 10, George Washington's council determined that the Continental Army would move to winter quarters somewhere west of the Schuylkill River. The army struck camp the morning of December 11, and proceeded to march through Plymouth Meeting, across Ridge Road, and down to the river crossing at Matson's Ford (following the route of present-day Butler Pike). In preparation for the crossing, Washington ordered the Pennsylvania militia, under the command of General James Potter, to establish three advance pickets west of the river to warn of British troop movements: one at Middle Ferry (where Market Street now crosses the Schuylkill River), another at Black Horse Inn at City Line and Old Lancaster Road, and the third at Harriton House (the home of

Charles Thomson Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson ...

, secretary of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

) on Old Gulph Road. Unbeknownst to the Americans, General

Charles Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

led a sizable British force out of the city on a foraging expedition early that morning. Cornwallis was also apparently unaware of the Continental Army movement, and had planned to forage in the area just south of Matson's Ford. Employing a local resident named John Roberts (who despite protestations that he acted under duress, was convicted and hanged in 1778 for assisting Cornwallis) as a guide, Cornwallis crossed the Schuylkill at Middle Ferry, drawing a round of musket fire from the American picket there before it withdrew. Cornwallis then proceeded up the road toward Matson's Ford.Reed, p. 384 His force consisted of battalions of British light infantry and grenadiers, one brigade of regular infantry, two troops of dragoons, and a detachment of German jägers. The force took with them six 6-pound cannons.Ewald, p. 110

Battle

Soon after, the militia stationed at the Black Horse Inn exchanged fire with the British troops. Outnumbered and flanked, the militia began to fall back in some confusion, taking casualties along the way.Reed, p. 385 Reports were delivered to Potter, who was with the contingent located at Harriton House, indicating that the British were "advancing in force" up Gulph Road and towards his location. Potter stationed five regiments of militia between the British forces and Harriton House. However, the militia were quickly overrun and they hastily retreated back through Gulph Mills to Swede's Ford (present-day

). The retreat was so chaotic that militiamen literally threw away their muskets and ammunition as they ran (an offense for which they would later be fined or publicly whipped). With the militia in retreat, Cornwallis discontinued pursuit and took up a strong position on the heights overlooking Matson's Ford. General Potter estimated his casualties at 5 killed, 20 wounded, and 20 taken prisoner, although he also claimed he was "not able to assurtain" the full extent of his losses. He believed the British casualties to be higher than his.Reed, p. 388 Jäger Captain

Johann Ewald Johann von Ewald (20 March 1744 – 25 June 1813) was a German military officer from Hesse-Kassel. After first serving in the Seven Years' War, he was the commander of the Jäger corps of the Hessian Leib Infantry Regiment attached to British fo ...

recorded that the British captured about 160 men in the battle "after a stubborn resistance".

Aftermath

The day after the battle, two Continental Army divisions under the command of General John Sullivan constructed a temporary bridge made from wagons that had been lashed together, and began crossing at Matson's Ford. Those divisions had almost completed crossing the river when the British position on the heights was spotted. Sullivan quickly ordered a retreat back across the river, and destroyed the makeshift bridge behind him. The

spent December 11–12 in the hills above Swede's Ford, while Washington sent out scouting parties on December 12 to determine the extent of the British force across the river. However, Cornwallis had already left the area, beginning a roundabout route that brought him back to Philadelphia with a load of provisions.Reed, p. 390 On the evening of December 12, Washington's army crossed the Schuylkill River at Swede's Ford using makeshift wagon bridges and proceeded down Swedeland Road to Gulph Mills, where they remained from December 13 till December 19. In recognition of the American victory at the

Battle of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

, December 18 was celebrated as day of "

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

and Praise" (and was, in fact, the first national holiday for the

thirteen colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centu ...

).Religion and the Congress of the Confederation, 1774–89 (Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, Library of Congress Exhibition)
/ref> On December 19, the army marched west on Gulph Road to their winter quarters at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the ...

References

''Historical sketches: a collection of papers prepared for the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania''
(contains extracted reprints of primary accounts) * * *

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Matson's Ford 1777 in the United States Conflicts in 1777 Matson's Ford Matson's Ford Matson's Ford History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania 1777 in Pennsylvania Norristown, Pennsylvania Matson's Ford