Spy System 1777 
Page V
With the return of Cornwallis reported by Clark, Washington wrote to his correspondent, on November 27. He was pleased with the invaluable intelligence Clark had recently provided regarding enemy troop deployment, and now induced Clark to discover any information regarding Cornwalls's next course of actions, particularly whether the British would themselves camp for the winter, as Washington and the army had at Valley Forge, or whether the British would seek out and engage the continental army.:
As I have now got the necessary information as to the Enemy's Works, position &ca what your Friends will particularly attend to, will be, the Return of Lord Cornwallis and his Troops, and what appear after that, to be their intentions. Whether to sit down in quarters for the Winter, or to seek this Army.
Washinton also entreated Clarke and his spies to be particularly attentive to any information or rumors concerning a war between Britain and France.
Some late accounts look as if a War in Europe was not far distant. Persons yesterday from the City mentioned that they heard it talked of among the Officers. desire your Friends to enquire particularly into this Matter.
To these inquiries Clark replied on December 1.
. . . 'tis the prevailing opinion the Army will endeavor to rest quiet in Winterquarters-my Friend heard no talk of a War with France. . . . A person from the City on Saturday, says that on Fryday Evening, Orders were given to the Troops to hold themselves in readiness to march-they have also given out they intend to possess themselves of the heights on this side Schuylkill . . . they either meant to attempt to surprize your Army, or to prevent you making an attack on them.
Clark then assured the general that he would follow up by sending a spy into Philadelphia to gain more information regarding Cornwallis's intentions and the possibility of a war between Britain and France, which would certianly have been welcome news to Washington:
A Gent. of my acquaintance is gone into P-by him I expect to find out their secret intentions, & whether there is any likelihood of a war in Europe.
Clark made good on his promise to follow up on these matters, reporting to Washington in a letter on December 3:
The Enemy are in motion have a number of flat bottom'd Boats on Carriages & Scantling-& are busy pressing Horses & Waggons-no persons permitted to come out except those on whom they can depend.In a second express of the same date (December 3, 1777) Clark notified Washington that his spy had talked to a British sergeant who had:
"assured him the Troops had received orders to hold themselves in readiness when called for, and to draw two days provisions...Should the enemy move, it will be sudden and rapid."
Battle of Whitemarsh
by Johann Martin Will
Published in Germany in 1777
LOC digital ID:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3821sm.gas00001
The British advanced against the American camp at Whitemarsh on the night of December 4th, appearing at Chestnut Hill on the right of the American front on the morning of the 5th. Two days of mutual watchfulness and skirmishing resulted as General Howe waited for an opening that never appeared, then withdrew to Philadelphia on the 8th without accomplishing anything material.
Clark wrote to Washington on the following day (December 9) with his report of the encounters between the British and American forces, remembered today as the Battle of Whitemarsh or the Battle of Edge Hill, but Clark's letter is lost to history. Washington responded to Clark later the same day (December 9)
I fancy your intelligencer is mistaken as to the number of wounded; but they had a pretty warm brush with Morgans Corps, in which he thinks he killed and wounded a good many
Actually the losses on both sides during the Battle of Whitemarsh were relatively light.
