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The Battle of Brandywine was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 11, 1777, in the area surrounding Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 1777 ( MDCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Chadds Ford Pennsylvania is a small township 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in Delaware County. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the William Howe 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC ( 10 August 1729 &ndash 12 July 1814) was a British General who The Philadelphia campaign (1777&ndash1778 was a British initiative in the American Revolutionary War. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 1777 ( MDCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Chadds Ford Pennsylvania is a small township 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in Delaware County. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The battle, which was a decisive victory for the British, left Philadelphia, the revolutionary capital, undefended. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The British captured the city on September 26, beginning an occupation that would last until June, 1778. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a
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Background
In late July 1777, after a distressing 34-day journey from Sandy Hook on the coast of New Jersey, an armada of more than 260 ships carrying some 17,000 British troops under the command of the British General Howe landed at the head of Maryland's Elk River, on the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay near present-day Elkton, approximately 40–50 miles (60-80 km) southwest of Philadelphia. Sandy Hook is a barrier peninsula, approximately 97 kilometers (between 6 and 7 miles in length and 800 meters (0 New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. William Howe 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC ( 10 August 1729 &ndash 12 July 1814) was a British General who The Elk River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest Estuary in the United States. Elkton is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11893 as of the 2000 census Unloading the ships proved to be a logistical problem because the narrow river neck was shallow and muddy.
General George Washington had situated the American forces, about 10,600 strong, between Head of Elk and Philadelphia. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Elkton is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11893 as of the 2000 census Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə His forces were able to reconnoiter the British landing from Iron Hill, about nine miles (14 km) to the northeast. Because of the delay debarking from the ships, Howe did not set up a typical camp but quickly moved forward with the troops. As a result, Washington was not able to accurately gauge the strength of the opposing forces.
Washington chose the high ground near Chadds Ford to defend against the British, since Chadds Ford allowed a safe passage across the Brandywine River on the road from Baltimore to Philadelphia. Accordingly, on September 9, Washington positioned detachments to guard other fords above and below Chadds Ford, hoping to force the battle there. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Washington employed General John Armstrong commanding about 1,000 Pennsylvania militia to cover Pyle's Ford, a few hundred yards south of Chadds Ford, which was covered by Generals Anthony Wayne's and Nathanael Greene's divisions. John Armstrong ( October 13, 1717 &ndash March 9, 1795) was an American Civil engineer and soldier who served as a The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service Anthony Wayne (January 1 1745–December 15 1796 was a United States Army general and statesman Nathanael Greene ( August 7 1742 &ndash June 19, 1786) was a Major general of the Continental Army in the American General John Sullivan's division extended northward along the Brandywine's east banks, covering the high ground north of Chadds Ford along with General Adam Stephen's division and General Lord Stirling's divisions. For other men with the same name see John Sullivan (disambiguation. Adam Stephen (c 1721 – 16 July 1791) was a Revolutionary War Major General, who was Cashiered and court martialed as William Alexander may refer to William Alexander 1st Earl of Stirling (c Further upstream was a brigade under Colonel Moses Hazen covering Buffington's Ford and Wistar's Ford. Moses Hazen ( June 1, 1733 &ndash February 5, 1803) was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the Washington was confident that the area was secure.
The British grouped forces at nearby Kennett Square. Kennett Square is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Howe had no intention of mounting a full scale attack against the prepared American defenses. He instead employed a flanking maneuver similar to those used in the Battle of Long Island. In Military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force Background On March 17 1776 the British fleet retreated to Halifax Nova Scotia to refit after the end of the year-long Siege of Boston. A portion of the army, about 5,000 men under the command of Wilhelm von Knyphausen, were to advance to meet Washington's troops at Chadds Ford, while the remainder, under the command of Lord Charles Cornwallis, were to march north to Jefferis' Ford, several miles to the north, which Washington had overlooked, and then march south to flank the American forces. Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen (1716 &ndash 1800 was a Hessian General during the American Revolutionary War. Charles Cornwallis 1st Marquess Cornwallis ( 31 December 1738 &ndash 5 October 1805) was a British military commander and colonial
Battle
September 11 began with a heavy fog, which provided cover for the British troops. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Washington received contradictory reports about the British troop movements and continued to believe that the main force was moving to attack at Chadds Ford. The British appeared on the Americans' right flank at around 2 p. m. With Hazen's brigades outflanked, Sullivan, Stephen, and Stirling tried to reposition their troops to meet the unexpected British threat to their right flank. But Howe was slow to attack the American troops, which bought time for the Americans to position some of their men on high ground at Birmingham Meeting House, about a mile (2 km) north of Chadds Ford. By 4 p. m. , the British attacked with Stephen's and Stirling's divisions bearing the brunt of the attack, and both lost ground fast. Sullivan attacked a group of Hessian troops trying to outflank Stirling's men near Meeting House Hill and bought some time for most of Stirling's men to withdraw. But Sullivan's men were cut down by return British fire, forcing them to retreat.
At this point, Washington and Greene arrived with reinforcements to try to hold off the British, who now occupied Meeting House Hill. The remains of Sullivan's, Stephen's, and Stirling's divisions held off the pursuing British for nearly an hour but were eventually forced to retreat. The Americans were also forced to leave behind most of their cannons on Meeting House Hill because most of the artillery horses were killed.
Knyphausen, on the east bank of the Brandywine, launched an attack against the weakened American center across Chadds Ford, breaking through Maxwell's and Wayne's divisions and forcing them to retreat and leave behind most of their cannons. Armstrong's militia, never engaged in the combat, also decided to retreat from their positions. Further north, Greene sent Colonel Weedon's troops to cover the road just outside the town of Dilworth to hold off the British long enough for the rest of the Continental Army to retreat. The American Continental Army was an Army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America Darkness brought the British pursuit to a standstill, which then left Weedon's force to retreat. The defeated Americans were forced to retreat to Chester where most of them arrived at midnight, with some stragglers arriving until morning. Chester is a city in Delaware County Pennsylvania, with a population of 36854 at the 2000 Census.
Losses
The official British casualty list detailed 587 casualties: 93 killed (8 officers, 7 sergeants and 78 rank and file); 488 wounded (49 officers, 40 sergeants, 4 drummers and 395 rank and file); and 6 rank and file missing unaccounted for [1]. Only 40 of the British Army’s casualties were Hessians[2]. Historian Thomas J. McGuire writes that, “American estimates of British losses run as high as 2,000, based on distant observation and sketchy, unreliable reports”[3].
No casualty return for the American army at Brandywine survives and no figures, official or otherwise, were ever released. Most accounts of the Patriot loss were from the British side. One initial report by a British officer recorded American casualties at over 200 killed, around 750 wounded, and 400 unwounded prisoners taken. A member of General Howe’s staff claimed that 400 Rebels were buried on the field by the victors[4]. Another British officer wrote that, “The Enemy had 502 dead in the field” ”[5]. General Howe’s report to the British Secretary of War, Lord Germain, said that the Americans, “had about 300 men killed, 600 wounded, and near 400 made prisoners”[6]
The nearest thing to a hard figure from the Patriot side was by Major-General Nathanael Greene, who estimated that Washington’s army had lost between 1,200 and 1,300 men[7].
350 wounded Americans were taken on September 14 from the British camp at Dilworth to a newly-established hospital at Wilmington [8]. This would suggest that of the “near 400” prisoners reported by Howe, only about 40 had surrendered unwounded.
If General Greene’s estimate of the total American loss was accurate, then between 1,160 and 1,260 Americans were killed or wounded in the battle of September 11, 1777. The British also captured 11 out of 14 of the American artillery guns.
Result
Although Howe had defeated the American army, the unexpected resistance he had met prevented him from destroying it completely. The 7th Pennsylvania Regiment was raised January 4, 1776 at Carlisle Pennsylvania for service with the Continental Army. The Brandywine flag was a banner carried by Captain Robert Wilson's company of the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment. The American morale had not been destroyed; despite losing the battle, the Americans had good spirits hoping to fight the British again another day. But neither commander in the battle had proven themselves. Washington had committed a serious error in leaving his right flank wide open and nearly brought on destruction if it had not been for Sullivan, Sterling, and Stephen's divisions that fought for time. Howe had waited too long to attack the American right flank, showing again his lack of killer instincts because he was still afraid of sustaining heavy casualties since the costly victory at the Battle of Bunker Hill two years earlier, and thus allowed most of the American army to escape. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary
British and American forces maneuvered around each other for the next several days with only minor encounters such as the Paoli Massacre on the night of September 20-21. Background Following the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, Brigadier General "Mad" Anthony Wayne was forced to retreat with his troops to Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights.
The Continental Congress abandoned Philadelphia, first to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for one day and then to York, Pennsylvania. The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the Lancaster is a city in the South Central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is the County seat of Lancaster County. York, known as the White Rose City (after the Wars of the Roses) is a city located in South Central Pennsylvania. Military supplies were moved out of the city to Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ is the county seat of Berks County Pennsylvania and the center of the Greater Reading Area. On September 26, 1777, British forces marched into Philadelphia unopposed. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1777 ( MDCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
References
- ^ McGuire, Thomas J. ; The Philadelphia Campaign: Volume 1: Brandywine and the Fall of Philadelphia; Stackpole Books; Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; 2006; ISBN 978-0-8117-0178-5; ISBN-10: 0-8117-0178-6, page 269
- ^ Martin, David G. ; The Philadelphia Campaign June 1777-July 1778; Combined Books; Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; 1993; ISBN 0-938289-19-5, page 76
- ^ McGuire, page 269
- ^ Martin, page 76
- ^ McGuire, page 269
- ^ McGuire, page 269
- ^ Boatner, Mark Mayo, Cassell’s Biographical Dictionary of the American War of Independence 1763-1783, Cassell, London, 1966, ISBN 0 304 29296 6, page 109
- ^ McGuire, page 278
Further reading
- History of the British Army by Sir John Fortescue
- The War of the Revolution by Christopher Ward
- September 11, 1777. Washington's Defeat at Brandywine Dooms Philadelphia by Bruce E. Mowday. ISBN 1-57249-342-9
See also
External links
- Brandywine Battlefield Park
- The Philadelphia Campaign
- Battle of Brandywine
- Battle of Brandywine at BritishBattles.com
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