ill.

Washington remained a few days at Perkiomen Creek, to give his army
time to rest and recover from the disorder incident to a retreat.
Having been reinforced by the arrival of twelve hundred Rhode Island
troops from Peekskill, under General Varnum, and nearly a thousand
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania troops, he gradually drew nearer
to Philadelphia, and took a strong position at White Marsh, within
fourteen miles of that city. By a resolution of Congress, all persons
taken within thirty miles of any place occupied by British troops, in
the act of conveying supplies to them, were subjected to martial law.
Acting under the resolution, Washington detached large bodies of
militia to scour the roads above the city, and between the Schuylkill
and Chester, to intercept all supplies going to the enemy.

On the forts and obstructions in the river, Washington mainly counted
to complete the harassment of Philadelphia. These defences had been
materially impaired. The works at Billingsport had been attacked and
destroyed, and some of the enemy's ships had forced their way through
the chevaux-de-frise placed there. The American frigate Delaware,
stationed in the river between the upper forts and Philadelphia, had
run aground before a British battery and been captured.

It was now the great object of the Howes to reduce and destroy, and of
Washington to defend and maintain the remaining forts and
obstructions. Fort Mifflin, which we have already mentioned, was
erected on a low, green, reedy island in the Delaware, a few miles
below Philadelphia, and below the mouth of the Schuylkill. It
consisted of a strong redoubt with extensive outworks and batteries.
There was but a narrow channel between the island and the Pennsylvania
shore. The main channel, practicable for ships, was on the other side.
In this were sunk strong chevaux-de-frise, difficult either to be
weighed or cut through, and dangerous to any ships that might run
against them; subjected as they would be to the batteries of Fort
Mifflin on one side, and on the other to those of Fort Mercer, a
strong work at Red Bank on the Jersey shore.

Fort Mifflin was garrisoned by troops of the Maryland line, under
Lieutenant-colonel Samuel Smith of Baltimore; and had kept up a brave
defence against batteries erected by the enemy on the Pennsylvania
shore. A reinforcement of Virginia troops made the garrison between
three and four hundred strong. Floating batteries, galleys,