Battle of Brandywine
Birmingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The British attack on the American right wing began here late in the afternoon. After heavy fighting, the defense line which Sullivan formed hastily near Birmingham Meeting House was forced to retreat to Dilworthtown, 2 miles SE. Reinforcements from Chadds Ford delayed the British as Sullivan's men fell back.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On September 11, 1777, the fields around Birmingham Meeting House became the crisis point of the Battle of Brandywine, the largest single-day engagement of the Revolutionary War. British and Hessian troops, having flanked the American army by a long march, struck Washington's right wing here late in the day. General John Sullivan threw together a defensive line that fought hard before being pushed back toward Dilworthtown, while reinforcements from Chadds Ford bought time for the army to withdraw.
Why it matters
Brandywine opened the road to Philadelphia, then the American capital, and its loss deepened the trials that led Washington's army to Valley Forge that winter.
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Related people
- · John Sullivan
- · George Washington
Related events
- · Battle of Brandywine
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Birmingham Friends' Meeting House - PLAQUE
Birmingham Township, PA · est. 1915
This Quaker meeting house, raised in 1783, sits amid the ground fought over at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. In the aftermath of that Revolutionary clash — the largest single-day land battle of the war — the building served as a hospital for the wounded. Its plain stone walls tie the peace testimony of the Society of Friends to the violence that swept across Chester County.
Osborne's Hill - PLAQUE
Birmingham Township, PA · est. 1915
From the height of Osborne's Hill, British commander General Sir William Howe watched and directed his army during the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. The ridge gave him a commanding view as his flanking column swung wide around Washington's right and struck where the Americans least expected. It was, in effect, the British headquarters for the day's decisive maneuver.
Brandywine Battlefield - Commonwealth Treasure
Birmingham Township, PA · est. 2001
On September 11, 1777, the rolling farmland around Birmingham Township became the stage for the largest single-day battle of the Revolutionary War. Washington's Continentals tried to hold the fords of the Brandywine against Sir William Howe's advancing British and Hessian troops, but a wide flanking march turned the American position and opened the road to Philadelphia. The Commonwealth Treasure designation recognizes this preserved ground as hallowed to the founding struggle.
Dilworthtown - PLAQUE
Birmingham Township, PA · est. 1915
Near the village of Dilworthtown, the Battle of Brandywine drew to its close on the evening of September 11, 1777. After Washington's line was flanked and driven back through the surrounding hills, the last fighting flared here as darkness ended the day. The marker fixes the point where one of the Revolution's largest engagements finally spent itself.