247 years ago this week, Lafayette, Pulaski and the Stars and Stripes Join America's Revolution During Thirteen Extraordinary Days in Bucks County!

Growing up in Philadelphia, early on I became a student of the American Colonial Period. Living in Bucks County, PA - the shortened name for William Penn's beloved Buckinghamshire in the UK - I became even more aware of the history in my own backyard. I first learned of the Moland House in 1999 as I was making my way home from a Saturday morning run to Home Depot. Whenever I can, I stop to read the Historical markers on the side of the road. I was fascinated to learn that the Moland House (just minutes from my home) was yet another place that could claim "George Washington Slept Here!"

Here's the history...

On August 10, 1777, General George Washington and the Continental Army camped in rural Warwick Township in the County of Bucks, Pennsylvania.?

The Moland family's farmhouse became his headquarters. For the next thirteen days Washington stayed at Headquarters Farm as it was now known and the Continental Army kept watch for British Army scouts and prepared for battle.?The next battles would be the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown. The Marquis de Lafayette joined the Continental Army here. He was a mere 19 years old. Washington was so impressed with the young man that their friendship grew to be me more like a father and son. Lafayette used his power and money to support the fledgling country.

In most histories of the Revolution, the Neshaminy encampment is quickly glossed over. In point of fact, it lasted thirteen days, August 10-23, 1777, and was the third longest encampment in Pennsylvania, exceeded only by Whitemarsh and Valley Forge. Furthermore, it is the place where Lafayette officially assumed his command, where Count Pulaski was introduced to Washington, and where Betsy Ross' newly designed American flag is said to have been flown for the first time.

The Author's home in Bucks County (a few miles from Moland House) where Betsy Ross' 13 Star Flag has flown since 1999.

General George Washington, (after the Victory at Princeton (January, 1777)

Never during the entire war was the Commander-in-Chief more bewildered or frustrated than he was at this time, for he could not locate the enemy. On July 25 he had been informed that the British fleet, which had been anchored in the New York harbor, had sailed--but what was its destination? Had General Howe headed north toward New England or south toward Philadelphia? Washington was then camped near Morristown, New Jersey, and acting on a "conjecture" that the fleet was bound for Philadelphia, he had set the army in motion and proceeded to the banks of the Delaware River opposite Coryell's Ferry (now New Hope) to await further news. When a courier arrived on July 30 and reported the British fleet had been sighted off Delaware Bay, Washington decided to continue toward the city.?

On the last day of July the soldiers were ferried across the river and headed down York Road. Some of them marched straight through to Germantown, but Lt. McMichael noted in his diary that his regiment "passed Bogarts' Tavern" (now the General Greene Inn at Buckingham), and camped that night at "the Cross roads in Warwick Township at 7 P.M." The next morning (August 1st), they resumed their march toward the city, never suspecting they would be back at the same spot in little more than a week.?

The Local Population

Politically, the area was ideal. The population of the surrounding countryside was almost entirely "Scotch-Irish", thanks largely to the Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian Church not half a mile away, which had been a magnet for this group since its founding in 1726. Of all the minorities in the colonies, the "Scotch-Irish" (as they are usually, if inaccurately called), had no Tories and no pacifists. Descended from fighting stock, they formed a cordon of defense around the non-fighting Quakers to the south and east. These, then, were the people who opened their farmhouses and their fields to the Colonials. No doubt their patriotism was a bit strained by the end of the thirteen days.

The Moland House (and the historical marker) which first caught the author's eye from Old York Road in Bucks County, PA in 1999

The historian William J. Buck described the Moland House in the first article ever published on the Neshaminy Encampment. W.W.H. Davis, in his second edition of the History of Bucks County (1905), includes a description: "Washington quartered in the farm house of John Moland, then lately deceased", says Davis. He refers to it as a "substantial stone dwelling...in good preservation", While Washington was settling into the widow Moland's house that hot Sunday evening, August 10, 1777, the troops were pitching their tents throughout the countryside. Across old York road was General Greene's headquarters. Here, says Buck, all orders to the army were posted, here stood the whipping post, while nearby was the post office.?

Day-to-Day Difficulties

The scope of the problems Washington dealt with during these thirteen days is extraordinary. The morning after his arrival, on August 11th, he seems to have sensed the low morale of the men in the heat and the humidity, for one of the first orders issued expressed his "approbation" of their conduct at their Germantown encampment: he had heard few complaints with regard to the damage done to fences. Although, as one historian put it, this "unwonted morality" may have been due to the hot weather (which discouraged the desire for firewood), the General was confident that by the "unwearied behavior" of the officers and the "good disposition of the Soldiery" future abuses would be avoided. There followed an order to the Commissary General to provide and keep in the camp "Spiritous Liquors" to be issued to the men "as the exigency of Service shall require."

Fortunately for the inhabitants of Warwick, the soldiers were on their best behavior, for Henry Laurens wrote his father that "we hear very few complaints from those immediately about us of the violation of private property." At the end of the day Col. Pickering could not resist a few comments about the Bucks County weather. "Such continual melting hot weather," he complained, "is unknown in New England. We...had frequent showers of rain and this day some severe thunder."

Where Were the British?

It was Saturday, August 16th, and still no word on the whereabouts of the British; so Washington turned his attention to the fighting in New York State.

Colonel Dan Morgan of Virginia. Neighbor and colleague of Washington's from the French and Indian War

In a communique to Gen. Putnam, he wrote that he was sending Col. Morgan's corps of riflemen to assist the northern army against the Indians, for they would "fight them in their own way." Always the military strategist, he added: "500 is the true strength of Morgan's corps, but it will answer a good purpose if you give out they are double that number."?

August 17, 1777 was a Sunday. Washington had been at the Crossroads nearly a week. Gen. Green wrote Gen. Varnum: "Our situation is not a little awkward - buried in the country, out of hearing of the enemy. His excellency is exceedingly impatient; but it is said, if Philadelphia is lost, all, all is ruined."?

Monday, August 18, and still no word of a sighting of the British fleet. Although preoccupied with Indians in New York, Congress in Philadelphia, enthusiastic would-be Major Generals in Paris, and unhealthy humidity along the Neshaminy, Washington took the time to acknowledge receipt of a treatise on war which had been sent him for comment, and to congratulate a young man on his intended marriage.

The Marquis de Lafayette 1781 after the Victory at Yorktown

Lafayette Joins the Continental Army

A letter to Benjamin Harrison from "Neshaminy Bridge" on Tuesday the 19th brings Lafayette onto the scene. From "various hints" it was Washington's conviction that Lafayette wanted the actual command of a division as soon as he was considered ready for it. Accustomed to foreigners who expected to instruct raw Colonials in the sophisticated art of war, the General was impressed by a young man who had declared he had "come to learn, not to teach." The letter concludes with the statement that the Marquis was then in Philadelphia, but "expected up this day or tomorrow."

It was now August 20th, the tenth day of the encampment. Refuse was beginning to accumulate, and the camp colour men were ordered to bury it. There had been no dependable news of the enemy's fleet for two weeks, and everyone from private to general was feeling restive in the depressing August humidity.

The next morning Washington called a Council of War in the reception room of the Moland house. Present at the council, in addition to the Commander-in-Chief, were Major Generals Greene, Stirling, Stephen, and Lafayette; and Brigadier Generals Maxwell, Knox, Wayne, Muhlenberg, Weedon, Woodford, Scott, and Conway. This was Lafayette's first appearance in the decision-making group. The conclusion of the council was that Howe was probably planning an attack on Charleston, and since the Americans could not possibly arrive in time to protect it, they should proceed immediately to the North [Hudson] River, and either make an attempt on New York or attack Gen. Burgoyne. Success in either case would help counteract the losses in the south. A copy of the council's deliberations and conclusions was carried that afternoon to the Congress by Col. Hamiltion, who was ordered to "bring back the result of their Opinions." In a postscript the General added: "That I may not appear inconsistent to advise and to act, before I obtain an Opinion, I beg leave to mention that I shall move the Army to the Delaware, tomorrow Morning, to change their Ground at any rate, as their present Encampment begins to be disagreeable and would injure their Health in a short time. Our forage also begins to grow scarce here."?The Warwick countryside was beginning to feel the effects of supporting 11,000 men and their horses.?

At 3 P.M. the afternoon of the 21st young Col. Hamilton dashed into the hall of Congress with Washington's report. After reading it, Congress adjourned for two hours. By a strange coincidence, only that morning word had been received in Philadelphia that the British fleet of "upwards of one hundred sail" had been seen the night of the 14th in the Chesapeake Bay. This intelligence had been immediately forwarded to Washington, but the courier must have passed Hamilton en route. Since no further news of the fleet had been received during the day, when Congress reassembled at 5 P.M. that evening it passed a resolution approving Washington's plan, and giving him permission to act "as circumstances require." Meanwhile Washington instigated preparations to march towards Coryell's Ferry.?

Count Casimir Pulaski circa 1777

During that busy day an important visitor showed uat headquarters. Count Pulaski was received at the Moland house with a letter from Benjamin Franklin, introducing him as a gentleman of "character and Military Abilities."?Pulaski's arrival was also welcomed by Lafayette, for he had brought the first letter the Marquis had received from his wife Adrienne since his departure from France in June. They had one child, Henriette, and were expecting a second; so the young man was eager for news. Although August 21st was the most interesting of the thirteen days, with its Council of War, the introduction of Pulaski, and the preparations to march, it ended anticlimactically. When the courier from Congress finally arrived with the news that the fleet had been sighted in the Chesapeake, Washington cautiously decided to cancel his marching orders. He relayed another communique to Congress: "I am this moment honored with yours of this morning...I shall in consequence halt upon my present ground till I hear something further." Reluctantly he spent another night at the Moland house.?

August 22nd dawned with no indication that by the end of the day the suspense would finally be over. word was received that morning in Philadelphia that the fleet had again been sighted, this time "high up" in the northeast part of the Chesapeake. Obviously Gen. Howe intended to make a landing in Maryland, then march on the city. His "strange route," as Washington referred to it, had been caused by "contrary" winds. When this long-awaited news was relayed to the Neshaminy headquarters, the camp suddenly roused from its lethargy (even the sentinels had been sitting at their posts) and became a beehive of activity. Congress was informed that the army would march in the early morning toward Philadelphia, then continue south, where it would be joined by other units. In the midst of the bustle of breaking camp a messenger galloped in with news of Gen. Stark's victory at Bennington. An elated Washington immediately had a bulletin posted, informing the troops that their brothers-in-arms had behaved in a "very brave and heroic manner."

Orders To Move Out

Finally, the army was ordered to march the next morning - if it should not rain, proceeding in exactly the same order as that posted the day before. Thirty men were to follow in the rear of the baggage "to pick up all stragglers, and see that the sick are not neglected." At 4 A.M. August 23rd, the main body of the American army began to pull out of the Neshaminy encampment. 11,000 ragged men, some wearing British uniforms they had stripped from the dead, trudged back down York Road toward Philadelphia. They carried the "Stars and Stripes" which Congress had officially adopted two months before, and which, it is said, was unfurled here for the first time. General Greene's division was in the lead, sloshing out of the muddy meadow along the creek, past Greene's headquarters, the whipping post, and the spot where the General Orders had been posted for the preceding twelve days. The inhabitants of Warwick and Warminster must have whistled the tune played by the fifers. Even Washington had admitted not long before that the local people "dread our halting among them even for a night, and are happy when they get rid of us."

Before he left, Washington had one final duty to perform. An entry in his account book reads: "To cash paid Mrs. Moland for her furniture etc. - ￡5.5s." The last notation of August 23rd proves him the perfect guest: "To cash paid woman for Cleaning the Kitchen - ￡1.2s. 6P."

About the author... Paul McBride is a former Marine Officer and the Founder and President of American Military Society Press. He currently serves as Regional Vice President at ZeOmega Population Health Management. You can contact him at [email protected]

NB: This article originally appeared on the amsp1775.com website on August 16, 2018

Source: History of Bucks County, W.W.H. Davis, (1905) / Bucks County Historical Society, H Gemmill, (1995) / George Washington's Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org