On 3 September 1777, approximately 800 Americans of Brigadier General William Maxwell’s newly formed “Special Corps,” made up of Continentals from New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, along with volunteers from neighboring Pennsylvania and militia from New Castle County, fought several thousand Hessian and Anspach jägers and British light infantry near Cooch’s Bridge. Ordered by General George Washington to “provide every possibly annoyance,” Maxwell’s mostly rifle-armed marksmen had spent a week scouting and harassing the 17,000-man Crown Forces army of General Sir William Howe, which had landed at the Head of Elk in late August to advance on Philadelphia. As the Crown Forces advanced guard moved along the Glasgow-to-Newark road about 9 o’clock in the morning, Maxwell’s men opened fire from concealed positions in a prepared ambush. Following orders to engage, force a deployment, fall back, and delay the enemy again, the Americans first checked the advance, but after recovering from the surprise the jägers overran the first position in hand-to-hand fighting. A second American line then stalled the Crown Forces until Howe reinforced the jägers with two British light infantry battalions and attempted to outflank the Americans. One movement was hindered by a swampy area at today’s Sunset Lake, but the drive toward Iron Hill succeeded and forced the Americans to withdraw. With Crown Forces artillery brought into action and Howe ordering a charge, Maxwell’s troops crossed Christina Creek at Cooch’s Bridge and, outnumbered, outgunned, disorganized, and low on ammunition, withdrew toward Christiana, ending the battle. Casualties on both sides ranged from 30 to 40 dead and wounded, and British pioneers buried at least 24 Americans on the field in unmarked graves. American officers engaged included John Marshall, later Chief Justice of the United States, Thomas Duff of Newport, Delaware, Alexander Martin, later Governor of North Carolina, and Francis Gurney, founder of Dickinson College. Afterward the Crown Forces occupied the area from Rittenhouse Park and Iron Hill to Aikens' Tavern at Glasgow, General Cornwallis established his headquarters at the Cooch House, and the army camped there for five days before marching north through Newark on 8 September. The two armies met again on 11 September 1777 at the Battle of Brandywine. Local grist mills owned by Thomas Cooch and Andrew Fisher supplied flour to Crown troops, and the Cooch mill was destroyed when the Crown Forces departed. Also known to American participants as the Battle of Iron Hill, this action was the opening engagement in the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777.