Battle of Brandywine
Kennett Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Howe planned two separate attacks against the American line. In early morning, the British Army divided here, Knyphausen's troops went east to engage the center of the line at Chadds Ford, while a force under Cornwallis marched approximately 6 miles north, then 3 miles east, to outflank Washington's right wing and attack from the rear.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Here, in the early morning hours of September 11, 1777, General William Howe divided the British army for a two-pronged assault on Washington's line along the Brandywine. Knyphausen's column pressed east to fix the American center at Chadds Ford, while a wing under Cornwallis marched a long roundabout route—north, then east—to fall upon Washington's exposed right flank from behind. It was a textbook flanking maneuver that echoed Howe's tactics at Long Island the year before.
Why it matters
The plan set in motion at this crossroads produced the British victory that led to the fall of Philadelphia, the young nation's capital.
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Related people
- · William Howe
- · Wilhelm von Knyphausen
- · Lord Cornwallis
- · George Washington
Related events
- · Battle of Brandywine
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Battle of Brandywine
Kennett Township, PA · est. 1952
On September 11, 1777, some 11,000 Continental soldiers under George Washington took position along Brandywine Creek to block a British thrust toward Philadelphia. They faced roughly 18,000 British and Hessian troops under General William Howe. In a long day of maneuver and hard fighting near Chadds Ford, the outnumbered and outflanked Americans were driven from the field.
Pennsylvania
New Garden Township, PA · est. 1948
In 1681 William Penn received a royal charter and founded Pennsylvania as a Quaker commonwealth built on religious tolerance and fair dealing. Within a century its chief city, Philadelphia, became the cradle of American nationhood, where delegates debated and adopted the Declaration of Independence and later framed the Constitution of the United States. This marker greets travelers entering a state that helped author the nation's founding ideals.
Trimble's Ford - PLAQUE
West Bradford Township, PA · est. 1915
Here at Trimble's Ford, the British army under Howe and Cornwallis waded across the west branch of the Brandywine on the morning of September 11, 1777. The crossing was part of the wide, secret flank march that would bring them down on Washington's exposed right by afternoon. A quiet country ford became, for one day, the hinge of a major Revolutionary battle.
John Chad's House - PLAQUE
Chadds Ford Township, PA · est. 1915
During the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, Colonel Thomas Proctor's American artillery took up positions in redoubts near this house, the home of ferryman John Chad. The guns helped anchor Washington's defense along the Brandywine before the army was forced to give ground. The dwelling still marks where Continental cannon stood against the advancing British.