regiment under his command, part of the Virginia new levies.” The 13th Virginia, or West Augusta regiment, was raised on the condition that it remain in the West in the event of an Indian War. However, with Washington’s need for reinforcements in the East, the Continental Congress on January 8, 1777, requested the governor of Virginia to order the West Augusta regiment to join Washington in New Jersey. But with increased attacks on frontier settlements by Native Americans allied with the British in early 1777, a Council of War was held at Fort Pitt on March 24, 1777, that decided the 13th Virginia should not be deployed to the East at that time. Crawford wrote to Congress on April 22, 1777: “Honorable Sir—Having received orders to join his Excellency General Washington in the Jerseys with the battalion now under my command, which orders I would willingly have obeyed, had not a council of war held at this place (proceedings of which were transmitted to Congress by express) resolve that I should remain here until further orders.” However, command of the 13th Virginia was soon given to Colonel William Russell and on June 9, 1777, several companies of the West Augusta Regiment, numbering about 300, marched eastward under Russell to join Washington and the main army near Philadelphia. Apparently by August 1777, Crawford also led a number of new recruits (about two hundred) eastward to join Washington. During the Philadelphia campaign, he commanded a scouting detachment as part of the light infantry corps for Washington's army. The light infantry was under the command of General William Maxwell and Crawford was selected to serve as one of the field officers under Maxwell. William Walker, a member of the light Infantry, described Crawford in the typical attire of a frontier rifleman: “…Colonel Crawford with his leather hunting shirt, pantaloons and Rifle…” The British forces, after landing at Head of Elk, Maryland, approached Philadelphia from the south through Delaware. Washington sent a contingent, including Maxwell’s Light Infantry, to block the main road to Wilmington at a crossing of the Christiana Creek known as Cooch's Bridge. On September 3, 1777, Crawford led about 300 scouts from Maxwell’s Corps to harass the vanguard of the British forces. The fighting was intense between Crawford’s scouts and an advanced party of Hessian jagers under the command of Captain Johann Ewald, as John Chilton of the 3rd Virginia Regiment