On September 11, 1777, Chadds Ford played host to one of the largest and deadliest battles of the American Revolutionary War, today called the Battle of Brandywine. An estimated 29,000 British and Continental troops met at the fledgling town populated mostly by peaceful Quakers. General George Washington had taken a stand along the Brandywine River to halt British movement eastward toward Philadelphia. In the ensuing battle, British commander Sir William Howe split his forces to outflank the Continental army. Washington was forced to retreat east to Chester while the British camped on the battlefield for five days, ransacking nearby homes.
 

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of Freedom, must . . . undergo the fatigue of supporting it. The event of yesterday is one of those kind of alarms, which is just sufficient to rouse us to duty, without being of consequence enough to depress our fortitude. It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequence will be the same."

 Thomas Paine on the Battle of Brandywine
September 11, 1777

Significance of the Battle

  • With an estimated 29,000 troops actively engaged, it was the largest land battle in the Revolutionary War.
  • It was one of the few encounters where the two commanders-in chief (General George Washington and General Sir William Howe) were both in command on the battlefield.
  • Despite their loss of the field, it inspired the Continental soldiers to continue the fight.
  • It is thought to have been the first battle in which the rapid-firing breech-loading Patrick Ferguson rifle was used by the British.
  • It is believed to have been the first battle in which the Betsy Ross flag was flown.
(Read more about the Battle of Brandywine)
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