2. Friendly fire knocked two American brigades out of the Battle of Germantown in 1777
The Battle of Germantown was the result of a counterattack by the Continental Army on the British-Hessian Army of William Howe, after the British occupation of Philadelphia. Washington devised an ambitious and complicated plan in which four separate columns were to converge on the British camp at Germantown. Launching his plan in heavy fog on October 4, 1777, the Continentals quickly fell into confusion. Schedules fell apart, and troops were diverted by field officers, rather than adhering to Washington’s original orders. An American unit under Anthony Wayne took part in the early fighting, routing the British units before them. Low on ammunition, they withdrew to reorganize and reform.
As they fell back, an American division under Adam Stephen arrived to replace them in the American line. They were far behind schedule. Their commander, later found to have been drunk at the time, mistook Wayne’s men as Hessians and ordered several volleys fired at the Continentals (to be fair, many of Wayne’s men wore Hessian coats captured at Trenton). In the smoke and confusion, Wayne’s troops returned fire. After several exchanges both units retreated, having sustained heavy casualties. The incident, one of many which caused Washington’s plan to unravel, left a hole in his flank and forced overall commander Nathaniel Greene to withdraw. After the battle, Stephen was court-martialed, found guilty of dereliction of duty and cashiered.