[Sam the Sham]

The British could not hold Philadelphia because once France entered the war they had to divert the shipping they were using to supply the Philadelphia garrison to the West Indies. I wondered, why couldn't they supply Philadelphia overland from New York through New Jersey which was supposedly Tory ?

Hell, if they couldn't even get firewood in Bergen County no wonder.

[Pharmboy]

Yes--there were certainly Tories here, but things were very fluid among a part of the population in NY, PA and NJ. If the Brits set up an outpost within 5 miles of your house, you might say "Long live King George" and when the Patriots held the ground you switched. As a matter of fact, there was a famous switch among a patriot militia group in Staten Island that turned Loyalist when the Brit fleet landed!

Another place where fighting was common during the war and was considered a bit of a no-man's land was Westchester County, NY. Here, the Tory fighters were called "Cowboys" since they rustled or bought cattle for the hungry Brits and Hessians in NYC.