How 400 Men on a Mud Island Starved Britain's Army
Ravelin
8,018 views
🔥 Fort Mifflin was never meant to be famous.
In the fall of 1777, while the British occupied Philadelphia and the American cause looked close to collapse, a few hundred exhausted Continental soldiers held a half-finished fort on Mud Island against warships, siege batteries, grenades, and one of the heaviest bombardments of the entire Revolution.
This wasn’t a triumphant last stand in the usual sense. It was six weeks of mud, hunger, freezing weather, shattered walls, and relentless artillery fire. But by delaying the British and keeping the Delaware River closed, Fort Mifflin may have done something far bigger than win a battle:
It may have saved the Revolution.
In this episode, we cover:
⚔️ Why Fort Mifflin mattered so much
🚢 The river defenses that trapped the British fleet
💣 The failed Hessian assault on Fort Mercer
🔥 The destruction of HMS Augusta
🏴☠️ The five-day bombardment that turned the fort into ruins
🌙 The final nighttime evacuation under fire
🇺🇸 How a defeat helped keep Washington’s army alive long enough to reach Valley Forge
If you enjoy stories about overlooked battles, desperate defenses, and the brutal side of history, subscribe to Ravelin and join us for more.
💬 What’s the most underrated battle of the American Revolution?
#FortMifflin #AmericanRevolution #RevolutionaryWar #PhiladelphiaCampaign #GeorgeWashington #ValleyForge #MilitaryHistory #USHistory #ForgottenHistory #HistoryDocumentary
00:00 Intro
02:25 The British Supply Crisis In Philadelphia
04:21 Fort Mifflin And The River Trap
06:06 Montresor, Smith, And The Siege Begins
08:16 De Fleury And The Fight For Fort Mercer
11:39 The Augusta Explosion And A Temporary American Success
13:03 Life Under Bombardment At Fort Mifflin
15:29 The Heaviest Bombardment Of The Revolution
17:31 HMS Vigilant Breaks The Fort
19:14 The Midnight Evacuation Of Mud Island
20:58 Why Fort Mifflin Still Saved The Revolution
24:51 Outro
4 Comments
How 400 Men on a Mud Island Starved Britain's Army
Ravelin
8,018 views
🔥 Fort Mifflin was never meant to be famous.
In the fall of 1777, while the British occupied Philadelphia and the American cause looked close to collapse, a few hundred exhausted Continental soldiers held a half-finished fort on Mud Island against warships, siege batteries, grenades, and one of the heaviest bombardments of the entire Revolution.
This wasn’t a triumphant last stand in the usual sense. It was six weeks of mud, hunger, freezing weather, shattered walls, and relentless artillery fire. But by delaying the British and keeping the Delaware River closed, Fort Mifflin may have done something far bigger than win a battle:
It may have saved the Revolution.
In this episode, we cover:
⚔️ Why Fort Mifflin mattered so much
🚢 The river defenses that trapped the British fleet
💣 The failed Hessian assault on Fort Mercer
🔥 The destruction of HMS Augusta
🏴☠️ The five-day bombardment that turned the fort into ruins
🌙 The final nighttime evacuation under fire
🇺🇸 How a defeat helped keep Washington’s army alive long enough to reach Valley Forge
If you enjoy stories about overlooked battles, desperate defenses, and the brutal side of history, subscribe to Ravelin and join us for more.
💬 What’s the most underrated battle of the American Revolution?
#FortMifflin #AmericanRevolution #RevolutionaryWar #PhiladelphiaCampaign #GeorgeWashington #ValleyForge #MilitaryHistory #USHistory #ForgottenHistory #HistoryDocumentary
00:00 Intro
02:25 The British Supply Crisis In Philadelphia
04:21 Fort Mifflin And The River Trap
06:06 Montresor, Smith, And The Siege Begins
08:16 De Fleury And The Fight For Fort Mercer
11:39 The Augusta Explosion And A Temporary American Success
13:03 Life Under Bombardment At Fort Mifflin
15:29 The Heaviest Bombardment Of The Revolution
17:31 HMS Vigilant Breaks The Fort
19:14 The Midnight Evacuation Of Mud Island
20:58 Why Fort Mifflin Still Saved The Revolution
24:51 Outro