When British Troops Occupied Philadelphia

On September 26, 1777, British troops marched into Philadelphia. The city had been the meeting place of the Continental Congress and the setting for the Declaration of Independence just a year earlier.

A city at the center of the Revolution

Philadelphia held enormous political importance to the American cause. As the British advanced, the Continental Congress left the city and continued its work elsewhere.

What happened next?

The occupation did not end the war. George Washington's army continued its campaign, while Philadelphia remained under British control until the following year.

The campaign before the occupation

The occupation followed a campaign in which British commander William Howe sought to take Philadelphia while George Washington tried to protect it. The city’s capture was a political and military setback, but occupying the place where Congress had met did not mean that the British had captured the revolutionary government or destroyed the Continental Army.

An army survived outside the city

Washington’s forces continued fighting and entered their winter encampment at Valley Forge in December 1777. The British left Philadelphia on June 18, 1778. Seen together, these events explain why a dramatic success on a map did not settle the war: the opposing army and the institutions directing the Revolution remained active.

What this date marks

September 26 commemorates the British entry into Philadelphia. It should not be confused with the Declaration of Independence, the later Valley Forge encampment or the British evacuation. Keeping those milestones separate makes the campaign’s changing fortunes easier to follow.