Philadelphia Was Under British Control From September 1777 To June 1778

In Philadelphia, the British entered on September 26, 1777. Many businessmen and nationalists had left the city in advance of their arrival. The situation was made worse by the fact that Washington's forces had pillaged Philadelphia and taken anything that the British may have found useful. Most of the residents that stayed were a mixture of Quakers, Loyalists, and the underprivileged. Children and women made up three-quarters of the total population. The majority welcomed British authority because they had always regarded themselves as loyal English citizens. Additionally, people had grown weary of the city's rulers' excessive patriotism for a long time.

The British held the American capital for almost a year. Patriot civilians suffered the occupation while Loyalist civilians welcomed the British. Merchants from other towns began relocating, British officers began residing in the most prestigious homes, and the occupying Englishmen installed a puppet administration made up of locals who supported the throne. George Washington and the Continental Army persisted in fighting while the Continental Congress evacuated to York, Pennsylvania, despite the loss of their capital city.

After joining the war on the side of the Americans, France's entry into the conflict rendered the British position in Philadelphia unsustainable. General Clinton was compelled to lead his British-Hessian troops to New York City on foot in order to evade the French fleet. The Patriots arrived in Philadelphia the day after the British left, and the city's loyalists fled by sailing down the Delaware River. The force that peacefully took over the city under the command of U.S. General Benedict Arnold was given the position of military governor. The Continental Congress left the city on June 24 and relocated to temporary quarters in York, Pennsylvania.