On September 11, 1777, the Revolutionary War
Battle of Brandywine was fought on ten square miles of fields and hills surrounding Chadds
Ford. The British were marching northeast from the Chesapeake Bay to Philadelphia to
capture the colonial capitol city.
The main road to Philadelphia crossed the Brandywine River at Mr.
Chads's ford. Because General Washington was convinced that the British, commanded by Lord
Howe, would concentrate their attack there, he placed his troops on the east bank of the
Brandywine to secure the fords nearest the main road. But Howe split his forces, sending
part to Chads's ford and sending the majority twelve miles north to cross the Brandywine
at unguarded fords. After crossing the river, the British marched south to outflank the
right wing of the Americans near Birmingham Meeting House. The noise coming from the
Birmingham conflict signaled the British troops posted on the road to Philadelphia to rush
Mr. Chads's ford.
Superior tactics, greater troop strength, and better use of the local
terrain allowed Howe to defeat Washington; however, the outnumbered Americans earned
grudging respect from the British for fighting them on their own terms and living to fight
again. In mid-December the Americans settled at Valley Forge-- where they spent the
winter, cold, poorly fed, and ill-sheltered--while the British moved to the warmth,
comfort, and plenty of Philadelphia.
On the eve of the battle the Marquis de Lafayette, a young French
volunteer aide to General Washington, was quartered in the home of Gideon Gilpin, a
prosperous Quaker farmer. Although Lafayette had extensive military training his first
actual combat experience was the Battle of Brandywine.
Lafayette's Quarters appears today much as it did in 1777, although
later additions were attached to the original 1745 stone dwelling. It is part of the
Brandywine Battlefield Park, administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission.
The carefully tended 368-year-old sycamore tree still stands as one of
our most recognizable Brandywine Valley landmarks.
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