You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.

Today, episode 167 defending the Delaware. Following the

the battle of Germantown, the British Army's position in Philadelphia seemed

secure. About two weeks after the battle, General Howe evacuated Germantown and moved his army closer to Philadelphia.

With 15,000 regulars and Hessions packed together behind entrenched lines that Washington's army could not hope to break.

Although Washington would not attempt to force another attack on occupied Philadelphia,

the Consonetals could still create problems for the British.

As they had done when the British occupied Boston and New York,

they prevented the occupiers from roaming the rural areas around the city to collect food, forage, and other supplies.

In both Boston and New York, the Navy could make up for this loss by shipping in supplies from elsewhere.

But in October 1777, the British Army in Philadelphia and the British Navy still gathering at the mouth of the Delaware River could not link up with one another.

Since the outbreak of war, the Americans had fortified their defenses on the Delaware River to prevent a naval attack.

The lower part of the river was much wider, making it more difficult to defend.

But once a ship travels upriver north of the Delaware

Pennsylvania border, the river narrows making larger sailing ships less

maneuverable.

The Americans set up a series of forts and river defenses that would prevent the approach

of any fleet to Philadelphia.

The first spot was at Billingsport, which was on the New Jersey side of the river, several miles south of Philadelphia.

It's actually near where the southern border of Philadelphia is now, but Philadelphia was much smaller in the 1770s.

At that point, the river narrowed, and there was a slight bend, making it difficult for ships to navigate.

So to make it even more difficult, the Americans sank several Shevo de Frieses into the river.

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