Battle of Matson ' s Ford The Battle of Matson ' s Ford was a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on December 11 , 1777 in the area surrounding Matson ' s Ford ( present - day Conshohocken and West Conshohocken , Pennsylvania ) . In this series of minor skirmish actions , advance patrols of Pennsylvania militia encountered a British foraging expedition and were overrun . The British pushed ahead to Matson ' s Ford , where units of the Continental Army were making their way across the Schuylkill River . The Americans retreated to the far side , destroying their temporary bridge across the Schuylkill . The British left the area the next day to continue foraging elsewhere ; the Continentals crossed the river at Swede ' s Ford ( present - day Norristown ) , a few miles upriver from Matson ' s Ford . Background . Following the British capture of New York City in a 1776 campaign , British commander Lieutenant General General William Howe turned his thoughts to capturing the seat of the Second Continental Congress , Philadelphia . In July 1777 he embarked about 18 , 000 troops on transports in New York , and sailed to the northern reaches of the Chesapeake Bay . Landing his troops there in late August , he defeated the Continental Army of Major General George Washington at the September 11 Battle of Brandywine , and occupied Philadelphia without opposition on September 25 after Washington was forced to retreat west of the city . In early December 1777 , General Howe led a sizable contingent of troops out of British - occupied Philadelphia in one last attempt to destroy Washington ' s army before the onset of winter . At the Battle of White Marsh ( December 5 – 8 ) , Washington successfully repelled the British attacks , and Howe returned to Philadelphia without engaging Washington in a decisive conflict . After the battle , Washington and his troops remained encamped at White Marsh . Prelude . On December 10 , George Washington ' s council determined that the Continental Army would move to winter quarters somewhere west of the Schuylkill River . The army struck camp the morning of December 11 , and proceeded to march through Plymouth Meeting , across Ridge Road , and down to the river crossing at Matson ' s Ford ( following the route of present - day Butler Pike ) . In preparation for the crossing , Washington ordered the Pennsylvania militia , under the command of General James Potter , to establish three advance pickets west of the river to warn of British troop movements : one at Middle Ferry ( where Market Street now crosses the Schuylkill River ) , another at Black Horse Inn at City Line and Old Lancaster Road , and the third at Harriton House ( the home of Charles Thomson , secretary of the Continental Congress ) on Old Gulph Road . Unbeknownst to the Americans , General Charles Cornwallis led a sizable British force out of the city on a foraging expedition early that morning . Cornwallis was also apparently unaware of the Continental Army movement , and had planned to forage in the area just south of Matson ' s Ford . Employing a local resident named John Roberts ( who despite protestations that he acted under duress , was convicted and hanged in 1778 for assisting Cornwallis ) as a guide , Cornwallis crossed the Schuylkill at Middle Ferry , drawing a round of musket fire from the American picket there before it withdrew . Cornwallis then proceeded up the road toward Matson ' s Ford . His force consisted of brigades of British light infantry and grenadiers , one brigade of regular infantry , two troops of dragoons , and a detachment of German jäger s . The force took with them six 6 - pound cannons . Battle . Soon after , the militia stationed at the Black Horse Inn exchanged fire with the British troops . Outnumbered and flanked , the militia began to fall back in some confusion , taking casualties along the way . Reports were delivered to Potter , who was with the contingent located at Harriton House , indicating that the British were " advancing in force " up Gulph Road and towards his location . Potter stationed five regiments of militia between the British forces and Harriton House . However , the militia were quickly overrun and they hastily retreated back through Gulph Mills to Swede ' s Ford ( present - day Norristown ) . The retreat was so chaotic that militiamen literally threw away their muskets and ammunition as they ran ( an offense for which they would later be fined or publicly whipped ) . With the militia in retreat , Cornwallis discontinued pursuit and took up a strong position on the heights overlooking Matson ' s Ford . General Potter estimated his casualties at 5 or killed , 20 wounded , and 20 taken prisoner , although he also claimed he was " not able to assurtain " the full extent of his losses . He believed the British casualties to be higher than his . Jäger Captain Johann Ewald recorded that the British captured about 160 men in the battle " after a stubborn resistance " . Aftermath . The day after the battle , two Continental Army divisions under the command of General John Sullivan constructed a temporary bridge made from wagons that had been lashed together , and began crossing at Matson ' s Ford . Those divisions had almost completed crossing the river when the British position on the heights was spotted . Sullivan quickly ordered a retreat back across the river , and destroyed the makeshift bridge behind him . The Continental Army spent December 11 – 12 in the hills above Swede ' s Ford , while Washington sent out scouting parties on December 12 to determine the extent of the British force across the river . However , Cornwallis had already left the area , beginning a roundabout route that brought him back to Philadelphia with a load of provisions . On the evening of December 12 , Washington ' s army crossed the Schuylkill River at Swede ' s Ford using makeshift wagon bridges and proceeded down Swedeland Road to Gulph Mills , where they remained from December 13 till December 19 . In recognition of the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga , December 18 was celebrated as day of " Thanksgiving and Praise " ( and was , in fact , the first national holiday for the thirteen colonies ) . On December 19 , the army marched west on Gulph Road to their winter quarters at Valley Forge .