The Battle of White Marsh was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought December 5 - December 8, 1777, in the area surrounding White Marsh, Pennsylvania. The battle, which took the form of a series of skirmish actions, was the last major engagement of 1777 between British and American forces. British commander General William Howe led a sizable contingent of troops out of British-occupied Philadelphia in one last attempt to destroy George Washington and the Continental Army before the onset of winter. Washington repelled the British attacks in a series of skirmishes, and Howe returned to Philadelphia without engaging Washington in a decisive conflict. With the British back in Philadelphia, Washington was able to march his troops to winter quarters at Valley Forge.