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History Details For - Fort Mercer and Fort Mifflin10/22/1777After Sir William Howe took Philadelphia, he needed a clear route for his supplies. The first stop by the British was to the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. On October 22, 2000 Hessians under Colonel Carl von Donop attached Fort Mercer. The fort was garrisoned by 400 men under Colonel Christopher Greene from Rhode Island. The attack was repulsed by the defenders. The Hessians suffered 371 casualties against 37 for the Americans.
Fort Mifflin was located on Mud Island just below Fort Mercer. On November 10, the British set up a battery in the river just north of the island and shelled Fort Mifflin for 5 days. The garrison of 450 men under Colonel Samuel Smith and Major Simeon Thayer suffered heavy casualties, but did not surrender. On November 15th, 6 British war ships joined in the bombardment. These ships added 238 more guns in the assault. That night 200 men slipped out of the fort. The British lost a total of 7 dead and 5 wounded.
After Fort Mifflin fell, the Americans were forced to leave Fort Mercer as well. On November 20, Colonel Greene evacuated Fort Mercer. Links:
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