Battle of the Clouds

The Battle of the Clouds — or the Battle of Warren Tavern — was a planned major engagement between Washington and Howe that was called off by a violent rainstorm before it could begin in earnest. Both armies had been maneuvering after Brandywine, and on September 16 they came into contact near Malvern, Pennsylvania, with Washington intending to make a stand.

As the forces began to engage, a tremendous downpour — described by soldiers as the heaviest rain they had ever experienced — soaked and ruined the ammunition of both armies. Muskets could not be fired with wet powder and wet flintlocks. Washington wisely ordered a withdrawal rather than risk a battle his men could not fight effectively. The British also held back.

Washington used the time the weather had bought to reposition his forces. His decision to break off the engagement rather than fight at a disadvantage demonstrated the strategic patience that characterized his command. An engagement at the Clouds, fought with the armies' ammunition compromised, might have resulted in the kind of catastrophic defeat that would have destroyed the Continental Army.