Washington was very wise. From the intelligence gathered, he knew that the British would be wary of prolonged fatigue and eager to continue the war. Although he really wanted to take this opportunity to strike a heavy blow against the British army again, he knew even more that his own troops were also tired from prolonged fighting.
Before the reinforcements arrived and formed combat capability, they simply could not withstand a frontal assault from the British army. The soldiers who had followed him since the Battle of Long Island truly had no energy for another high-intensity operation; he would absolutely not allow such excellent Continental army soldiers to sacrifice themselves in vain.
So, after much consideration, Washington resolutely decided that he and the newly arrived General Putnam, with five hundred men, would remain at the Delaware River to fight a delaying action. The other troops, who had experienced many major battles, were all handed over to General Sullivan to lead back to Philadelphia, preparing for the final decisive battle in Philadelphia.
At the same time, in the name of the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental army, he requested that all supporting troops from various regions no longer needed to come to the Delaware River front line, but instead all go to Philadelphia for the Defense of Philadelphia. Even Thomas Paine was dispatched by him as an emergency messenger to call on all states to send troops to surround Philadelphia.
Due to a few small accidents and changes, the entire process of the war of Independence was now completely different from history. Although it was still uncertain whether the British army would actually attack Philadelphia, at least Washington's actions were already completely different from history.
The Continental Congress was discussing economic issues when it received news that General Sullivan was leading a large number of wounded and remnants back to Philadelphia.
At first, all the Continental Congress Representatives were startled, thinking that Washington had been completely routed on the front line and had to retreat to Philadelphia. It was only after listening to Sullivan's hurried explanation to all the Continental Congress Representatives at Independence Hall that everyone understood.
However, even after understanding, everyone was still startled. No matter how tragic the fighting on the front lines was, these Continental Congress Representatives previously only needed to be concerned. They did not need to face it themselves. Now that the main force of the army had withdrawn to Philadelphia, and with the battle about to begin right before their eyes, these people's feelings were bound to be different; how could they not be nervous?
Hancock immediately moved:
"Councilor Charles! You are the chairman of the Military and Ordnance Committee and our overall commander for Philadelphia's city defense. Do you think we can hold off the British army outside Philadelphia? If not, should we immediately begin evacuating civilians?"
Charles, knowing Washington's plan, frowned deeply.
Fortunately, Hancock did not ask him to lead troops to support anything. If it was about giving advice during the war or handling logistics, he would certainly have no problem. But if it was about leading troops into real combat with live ammunition, then being able to stand firm at the front would be good enough for him. Perhaps at the sound of cannons, he might even think of fleeing. However, now, the Defense of Philadelphia was definitely going to happen.
It was, after all, the temporary capital of the United States. To withdraw without firing a single shot would have too great a political impact. He wondered why Washington would tolerate the war descending upon Philadelphia; such an impact was truly unfavorable.
"Sir Hancock, I do not believe that General Washington's decision to abandon the defense of the Delaware River is a good idea. In terms of defensive strategic importance, the Delaware River is far easier to defend than Philadelphia. Even if the river freezes, strong vigilance alone would force the British army to pay a heavy price to cross.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, currently has no natural defenses apart from some permanent fortifications; it is not the most suitable place for defensive operations. Perhaps General Washington has other plans that I have not yet figured out. The priority now is to clarify his specific intentions!"
He heard Sullivan say that Washington would engage in the final battle with the British army at the Delaware River, and the Defense of Philadelphia could only be entrusted to the rear. There was an implication in his words that Washington would launch a suicidal attack. Charles always felt that such an approach was problematic, so he wanted to ask Sullivan and other generals for the specific situation.
First, would Washington be such an impulsive person, wanting to commit suicide in battle? Of course not; Christians oppose suicide, and generally, in situations where there is no responsibility, they would rather surrender than commit suicide. Currently, Washington absolutely has no reason to commit suicide to atone for anything.
Moreover, according to Charles' conversations with him and his combat performance in the previous battles, he felt that General Washington was the person in the Continental army who most enjoyed employing tactics.
Since he had already allowed the war to be drawn towards Philadelphia, how could he not return to command? Did he think that his or General Sullivan's command level would be higher than his, an experienced general? Of course not.
The Continental army actually needed time to arm its reserves. With Washington's tactical prowess, dispatching a few small groups to delay the British army on the road would then provide some time to reorganize and prepare for war in Philadelphia.
In Charles' view, with Philadelphia's large civilian base and his own weapon support, relying on fortifications to hold off the British would be no problem at all. In fact, if Washington's military talent was truly as formidable as rumored, repelling the British army was also very possible.
Charles was still guessing Washington's intentions here, while Hancock over there was asking again:
"Whatever General Washington's intentions, it is now an unavoidable fact that the British army might directly attack Philadelphia. Councilor Charles Godfrey, we are very eager to know, do you have the confidence to defend against the British army?" Hancock pointed to the other Continental Congress Representatives who were also looking at Charles with concern.
Charles could only smile bitterly. He had studied military affairs enough these days and knew one thing: before fighting, one must understand the enemy and our own situation. And now, the arrangements of the greatest helper, Washington, were still unclear; how could he make a rash conclusion? However, for these Continental Congress Representatives with limited military understanding, there was actually no need to give an overly precise answer.
"Sir Hancock, I can only say that I am confident I can hold off the British army outside Philadelphia for several months and guarantee to inflict enormous casualties on them. However, without General Washington's cooperation, I cannot guarantee to completely hold Philadelphia," Charles said naturally.
He currently possessed a large number of mother-and-son cannons, double-barreled rifled muskets, Picric acid explosives, and so on. Using these items in a city defense battle with meticulous defensive preparations would absolutely inflict tremendous casualties on the invading enemy. As for routing the British army, that would certainly require something else.
Although he wanted to, the military strength of Philadelphia was limited, making it unlikely.
"Can you explain in detail?" Hancock asked eagerly.
"Including General Sullivan's soldiers, we in Philadelphia only have a few thousand men in total. Once the British army decides to attack Philadelphia, tens of thousands of troops from all routes will surely swarm here. I believe that with Philadelphia's current military strength alone, even Caesar could not withstand the British army's assault.
However, General Washington's presence near the Delaware River gives us an opportunity to repel the British army. gentlemen, as I just said, I have the means to inflict tremendous casualties on the British army and delay them for a period. As for whether we can repel them, it now completely depends on General Washington's performance! Or rather, on how much he can harass the British army's rear!" Charles said in a deep voice.
"You just said you could only hold Philadelphia for a few months?" a Continental Congress Representative spoke up.
"Yes, gentlemen, that is to say, unless General Washington can continuously harass the British army's rear within a few months, causing severe difficulties in their logistical supply, we will have a chance to make the British army voluntarily retreat. But I do not know General Washington's plans, so I cannot confirm it now," Charles suddenly felt a lot more relieved.
Because he had observed from Washington's previous battles that Washington was one of the few old foxes among America's generals, most fond of using surprise attacks, raids, and even harassment tactics.
With him coordinating from behind the British army, he was absolutely confident in wearing down the British army until they voluntarily retreated. Perhaps Washington decided to abandon commanding the battle in Philadelphia and personally lead a team for harassment and raids because he believed cutting off the British army's supplies was more important than a frontal decisive battle.
It's just that he didn't know what consideration Washington had that prevented him from having General Sullivan, who led troops to Philadelphia, relay his idea. Charles could only guess: perhaps Washington, just as he trusted him, also trusted himself to discern his arrangements.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was true. That feeling of mutual understanding made Charles unable to help but smile, even in this moment of crisis.
Seeing the confident smile on Charles' face, the Continental Congress Representatives felt considerably relieved.
After all, Charles' abilities had already been proven by the occupied Ohio area. As for this war against the British army, at least they did not have to participate, and they were not planning to.
"The war should only involve soldiers; it should not affect civilians, Councilor Charles. So, should we now mobilize civilians to begin relocating?" a Continental Congress Representative spoke.
Charles smiled, looking at the nervous Continental Congress Representatives.
"Indeed! There is certainly a need for that. Furthermore, I believe it is also necessary for the Continental Congress to relocate. The matter of the Defense of Philadelphia can be left to me, the overall commander. All of you are pillars of America and should avoid unnecessary demise in the war."
However, he was a little worried in his heart: should he evacuate this Continental Congress to his Pittsburgh district? If it were evacuated to Pittsburgh, it would undoubtedly have a tremendous promotional effect on Pittsburgh's development. At the very least, he could guarantee that a large number of civilians and wealthy individuals would move to Pittsburgh with the Continental Congress.
It's just that the Continental Congress and its Continental Congress Representatives had immeasurable influence. If he put such a large group of important figures in while he wasn't in Pittsburgh, it would be like putting a pack of wolves into a sheepfold. By the time he returned to Pittsburgh in the future, it would definitely already belong to the Continental Congress.
"Gentlemen, where do you all think is the most suitable place for our civilians and the Continental Congress to relocate?" Conference Secretary Thompson asked.
"Baltimore, of course! It's the nearest relatively large city!"
"Baltimore is constantly under threat from the British army; it's still unsafe. We should go to Richmond!"
"The entire Virginia is currently engulfed in war. There's no particularly safe place to the south. If you ask me, it's better to move north."
The meeting immediately dissolved into a heated debate. Apart from a few who remained silent, some even suggested relocating to Albany further north. It was clear that their arguments, besides considering safety factors, also aimed to secure political capital for their hometowns.
Charles looked helplessly at these Continental Congress Representatives, and could only go over and speak to Hancock, the chairman of the Continental Congress, who had been silent since Charles could not guarantee holding Philadelphia:
"Sir Hancock, you are widely experienced. Where do you think it would be suitable for the Continental Congress to retreat?"
"Retreat where?" A glimmer of light appeared in Hancock's bewildered eyes.
"Well! I think Pittsburgh is excellent. Now that it has a canal, communication and material transport with Philadelphia are relatively convenient. Moreover, it is the largest city in the west, and your former army is stationed there, so it should be the most suitable temporary base for the Continental Congress," Hancock said directly.
Those who had been sitting there silently immediately looked towards Charles upon hearing Hancock's suggestion.
In reality, there were only two options for where the Continental Congress could retreat now: Virginia, which had the largest source of soldiers, and Charles' Pittsburgh in the Ohio area. Virginia's advantage was that there were many Continental army troops nearby, so even if something went wrong, they could hold off the enemy like Philadelphia, giving the Continental Congress enough time to retreat.
Historically, it seems they moved to Charlestown in Virginia, but Virginia was indeed, as some Continental Congress Representatives said, constantly at war itself, and the British army nearby was definitely more numerous than the Continental army, making it difficult to guarantee the safety of the Continental Congress. It's possible that they would move to a city today only to be scared away by the arriving British army tomorrow.
These Continental Congress Representatives were not afraid of death, but they would absolutely not do such a foolish thing as knowingly going to their deaths. Therefore, Pittsburgh undoubtedly became their best choice in their minds.
Pittsburgh's disadvantage was its distance from the prosperous eastern region, making communication with other states inconvenient. But this was also its advantage: being far from the eastern battlefield, there was no need to worry about the British army attacking it in the short term, and the Continental Congress would have enough time to breathe.