Battle of Germantown

Xavier della Gatta included an incredible amount of detail in this painting. He used tiny brush strokes to depict distant American soldiers and included the vignette of Richard Mansergh St. George being carried off the battlefield after his wounding. St. George probably showed Xavier della Gatta his wartime sketch “My Triumphant Entry into Philadelphia” because the pose of the African American wagon driver in this scene matches the pose of the wagon driver in St. George’s sketch. It is unclear why Xavier della Gatta’s rendering of Cliveden is so inaccurate. St. George may not have remembered the house well enough to describe its appearance.

Battle of Germantown
Painted by Xavier della Gatta
Naples, Italy
1782
Gouache on Paper
Museum of the American Revolution