Israel (who was many years Grand Master) was saved from an ignominious death by the use of masonic signs.--See Mrs. Ellett's Women of the Revolution, i., 155. [[[Battle prevented.--March of the Americans toward Germantown.--Localities near the Brandywine.]]] {386}the high ground near the White Horse tavern with a part of his army, and turned the right flank of the Americans, while the main body advanced toward the left. Skirmishing commenced between the advanced guards of the two armies, and a general battle appeared about to ensue, when a terrible storm of rain (already noticed on page 315), accompanied by heavy thunder, broke upon the belligerents, and so injured their ammunition that they were obliged to defer the battle. Washington found his loss of ammunition to be so great, that prudence forbade a present engagement with the enemy. He accordingly withdrew his army, and filed off toward Reading. Wayne, in the mean while, was hanging upon the rear of the enemy, and suffered the defeat at Paoli. Washington retired to Yellow Springs and Warwick, among the range of mountains which extend to Valley Forge, and passed the Schuylkill at Parker's Ford. The subsequent movements of the two armies--the battles of Germantown, Red Bank, and Fort Mifflin; the encampment at Whitemarsh and Valley Forge; the evacuation of Philadelphia by the enemy the following spring, and the battle of Monmouth which ensued, have been noticed in the preceding chapter. We will now close the chronicle, finish the sketch of the Birmingham meeting-house, printed on page 375, and, leaving the venerated fane with its interesting associations, ride to Dilworth to dine. About half-way between the meeting-house and Dilworth, and one hundred rods westward of the road, in a field belonging to Mr. Bennet, is the place where La Fayette was wounded. [Illustration: 9396] The ground is very undulating; in fact, the whole scene of the battle of Brandywine is a broken but very fertile country, highly cultivated, and remarkable for the good character of its inhabitants. They were chiefly Quakers during the Revolution; and their descendants, professing the same faith and discipline, own a large portion of the land at present.