Battle of Brandywine

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General La Fayette is wounded in the Battle of Brandywine

The Battle of Brandywine was a battle in the American Revolutionary War fought on September 11, 1777 at Chadds Ford on Brandywine Creek , Delaware County , Pennsylvania . The battle ended in a major victory for the British forces and allowed them to take Philadelphia .

After a 34-day sea journey from Sandy Hook on the New Jersey coast , 17,000 British soldiers under the command of General William Howe landed at the mouth of Maryland's Elk River , on the north bank of Chesapeake Bay . Unloading the troops proved to be very difficult given the shallow and swampy river bank.

General George Washington had positioned American troops between the mouth of the Elk and Philadelphia, some 70 km away. You could watch the British landing from Iron Hill, about 14 km northwest . Because of the delayed disembarkation of the British, Washington did not set up an actual camp, but pushed its troops forward quickly and failed to precisely investigate the enemy troop strength. He opted for the high position at the ford at Chadds Fort as a defensive position, as one could safely get from here over the Brandywine on the road from Baltimore to Philadelphia.

On September 9, Washington posted guards at other fords above and below Chadd's Ford, hoping to force the battle there and considering the area safe. The British concentrated their forces at Kennett Square , with part of the force heading for Chadd's Ford to meet Washington. The other troops headed north to a ford Washington had overlooked, and then marched south into the flank of American forces.

On the morning of September 11th, thick fog fell over the landscape, providing cover for the British. Washington received contradicting reports about the opposing troop movements, but continued to assume that the majority of the British were setting out to attack Chadd's Ford. When the British appeared on the right flank of his troops, it was too late to respond and he had to order the retreat to Chester .

In the days that followed, British and American troops maneuvered and there were only smaller meetings, such as the Paoli massacre on the night of September 20-21.

The Continental Congress left Philadelphia, first to Lancaster and then to York . The military supplies were brought from Philadelphia to Reading . On September 26, 1777, the British invaded Philadelphia unhindered.

Web links

Commons : Battle of Brandywine  - collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Michael Harris: Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777 . Savas Beatie, El Dorada Hills 2014, ISBN 978-1-61121-162-7 .

Coordinates: 39 ° 52 ′ 19 ″  N , 75 ° 35 ′ 24 ″  W.