Battle of the Clouds The Battle of the Clouds ( also known as the Battle of Warren , Battle of Whitehorse Tavern , or the Battle of Goshen ) was an aborted engagement of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War on September 16 , 1777 , in the area surrounding present day Malvern , Pennsylvania . After the American defeat at the Battle of Brandywine , the British Army remained encamped near Chadds Ford . When British commander William Howe was informed that the weakened American force was less than ten miles ( 16 km ) away , he decided to press for another decisive victory . George Washington learned of Howe ' s plans , and prepared for battle . Before the two armies could fully engage , a torrential downpour ensued . Significantly outnumbered , and with tens of thousands of cartridges ruined by the rain , Washington opted for a tactical retreat . Bogged down by rain and mud , the British allowed Washington and his army to withdraw . Background . After Washington ' s defeat at the Battle of Brandywine , he was intent on accomplishing two tasks . He wanted to protect Philadelphia from British forces under the command of Howe , and he needed to replenish the rapidly dwindling supplies and munitions which were stored in Reading , Pennsylvania . Washington withdrew across the Schuylkill River , marched through Philadelphia , and headed northwest . Since the Schuylkill was fordable only far upstream starting at Matson ' s Ford ( present - day Conshohocken ) , Washington could protect both the capital and the vital supply areas to the west from behind the river barrier . Yet he reconsidered , and recrossed the river to face the British , who had moved little since Brandywine , owing to a shortage of wagons to carry both their wounded and their baggage . Battle . General Howe was alerted that Washington had recrossed the Schuylkill on the afternoon of September 15 , and by midnight , his troops were on the march toward the major road junction where the White Horse Tavern stood . The going was difficult , because the weather had been rainy and windy , and the troops and wagons turned the roads into muddy quagmires . The next morning , Washington ' s 10 , 000 man army was moving west through the Great Valley , bound by the North and South Valley Hills on either side . He learned from his cavalry that the British were advancing on him from the south just a few miles away . Although moving to the North Valley Hills would have given Washington more time to deploy and possibly fortify , he ordered the army south directly toward the enemy to take up a defensive position on the South Valley Hills . The position was three miles ( 5 km ) long and was strong , especially in the center . Washington sent an advance force under General Anthony Wayne to slow the British progress . At about 2 : 00 pm , his men encountered the advance jäger units of the Hessian column on one road . These forces began skirmishing , and the Americans very nearly captured Colonel Carl von Donop when he became separated from his main column with a small company of jägers . The main British column , led by General Charles Cornwallis , met with Wayne ' s Pennsylvania militia on another road at around 3 : 00 , who gave way in a panicked retreat , suffering 10 killed or wounded . While this went on , Washington , who was trying to organize the line of battle , had a change of heart about the position , and ended up withdrawing the army north of the tavern . This withdrawal was just getting underway when it began pouring rain . Hessian jäger captain Johann Ewald described it as " an extraordinary thunderstorm , [ . . . ] combined with the heaviest downpour in this world . " The British army halted its advance , although General Wilhelm von Knyphausen ordered the jägers to engage the enemy . Ewald and his men rushed forward , swords drawn since their muskets were inoperable due to wet powder , and capture 34 men . Ewald reported losing 5 killed , 7 wounded , and 3 captured in this action . The storm , which historian Thomas McGuire describes as " a classic nor ' easter " , raged well into the next day . The British were forced to construct a makeshift camp ( having left their tents behind that day ) , and Washington managed to form a battle line , but a great deal of his ammunition was spoiled by the rain and poorly - constructed cartridge boxes . Aftermath . Washington once again withdrew beyond the Schuylkill on September 19 to cover both the capital and his supply area , but he left behind General Wayne ' s Pennsylvania division of 1 , 500 men and four guns with orders to harass the British rear . Howe ' s army found it nearly impossible to follow Washington over the rutted , muddy roads . The decision was made to wait out the storm , then move toward their objective . Wayne was to be joined by militia , and together they were to strike at the enemy baggage train as the British advanced on Washington ' s main army . However his force was surprised at the Battle of Paoli , and the British were free to occupy Philadelphia .