It is a well known fact that George Washington loved his dogs. However, it is a lesser known fact that he also had a soft spot for other people’s dogs as well. Case in point, during the American Revolution when a British general’s dog accidentally found herself retreating to the wrong encampment, Washington stepped in and intervened on her behalf.
It happen in 1777 at the Battle of Germantown. Things didn’t go quite as planned for General George Washington that day. They had already suffered a series of defeats, and morale was low for the Continental Army. So when Washington heard that the British had their sights set next on Germantown, he knew he had to act. If successful this could have been the turning point they needed heading into the winter. Spoiler alert: They weren’t successful. The ill-prepared troops, combined with the thick fog on the battlefield, gave them no choice but to retreat.
The Continental Army wasn’t the only ones disoriented by the fog, so was British General William Howe’s dog, a Fox Terrier named Lila. In the confusion Lila found herself in a precarious position across enemies lines. Her engraved collar gave away her identity, and two soldiers scooped her up to bring to General Washington. Their plan was to keep the dog as retribution to Howe. However, Washington instead insisted that the beleaguered pup be returned to her owner, along with a note: “General Washington’s compliments to General Howe. He does himself the pleasure to return him a dog, which accidentally fell into his hands, and by the inscription on the Collar appears to belong to General Howe.” A copy of this note, written by Washington’s aide, Alexander Hamilton, can be found in the National Archives.
However, before you jump to the conclusion that Washington returned the dog purely out of the goodness of his heart, think again. He was a shrewd general. As Dr. Francis Spring Ronalds, noted in American Heritage (June 1964), “G. W. never missed a chance to gain knowledge of the enemy, and what a splendid opportunity this was to spy on British Headquarters! The British could not refuse a flag returning the General’s dog.” So that just leaves the question, was Lila, the Fox Terrier, lost or was she spying on Washington for Howe? We will never know.
