General Howe marches out to Chestnut Hill....

Returns to Philadelphia....

General Washington goes into winter quarters.
{1777} {September.} [Sidenote: Measures taken to prevent a communication between the British army in Philadelphia and their fleet.] Philadelphia being lost, General Washington sought to make its occupation inconvenient and insecure, by rendering it inaccessible to the British fleet.

With this design, works had been erected on a low marshy island in the Delaware, near the junction of the Schuylkill, which, from the nature of its soil, was called Mud Island.

On the opposite shore of Jersey, at a place called Red Bank, a fort had also been constructed which was defended with heavy artillery.