October 4, 1777 - George Washington vs. The Fog
On a particularly cool morning, on Oct. 4, 1777, a dense fog began to roll in, becoming the blanket of protection the colonies needed for a surprise attack to work.
Photo: Christian Schussele.
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The year is 1777, the Declaration of Independence has already been signed, but had upset the British. The Battle of Germantown was a major battle that took place in Germantown (Philadelphia) between the British Army, led by Sir William Howe, and the American Continental Army, with the 2nd Canadian Regiment, under the command of the first ever commander-in-chief, George Washington.
On a particularly cool morning, on Oct. 4, 1777, a dense fog began to roll in, becoming the blanket of protection the colonies needed for a surprise attack to work this time. With a low visibility, one of the four attacking rows of soldiers lit a fire as a decoy to deceive the British, while the other three marched down various roads into town.
Again, while fog draped its way in and around every corner of the city. Then the fighting broke out. But another problem arose that was not foreseen immediately: The fog thickened and stayed persistent.
Good news right? Not so fast.
On today's podcast, Chris Mei talks about the importance of Oct. 4 in the Battle of Germantown and the fog that arose that morning, playing an integral role in who won that fight.
"This Day In Weather History” is a daily podcast by The Weather Network that features unique and informative stories from host Chris Mei.