Battle of Brandywine
New Castle County, Delaware County, Delaware
Marker Inscription
The center of the American line, Wayne commanding, was near Chadds Ford and faced west. In late afternoon as Cornwallis was making the main assault on the American right wing, 3 miles north, Knyphausen's division of British and Hessians crossed Brandywine Creek, attacked Wayne and forced him to retreat.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
This marker traces the tactical crux of the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, where General Anthony Wayne held the American center near Chadds Ford, facing west across the creek. While Washington's attention was fixed on Cornwallis's flanking march three miles to the north, General Knyphausen's British and Hessian division forced a crossing of the Brandywine and drove Wayne's men back. The double blow — a flanking column and a frontal assault — unhinged the whole American position.
Why it matters
The fight here shows how Howe's classic pincer maneuver worked in practice, splitting American attention and turning a stubborn defense into a general retreat.
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Related people
- · Anthony Wayne
- · Charles Cornwallis
- · Wilhelm von Knyphausen
Related events
- · Battle of Brandywine
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Pennsylvania
Bethel Township, PA · est. 1949
William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681 as a Quaker commonwealth built on religious tolerance and self-government, an experiment that drew settlers of many faiths to the Delaware Valley. Within a century that colony became the setting where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were written. This state-line marker greets travelers with that founding heritage.
Battle of Brandywine
Chadds Ford Township, PA · est. 1952
On September 11, 1777, the fields around Chadds Ford became the setting for the largest land battle of the American Revolution. George Washington positioned roughly 11,000 Continental troops to block General William Howe's drive toward Philadelphia, but Howe's larger British and Hessian force outflanked the American line. The defeat opened the road to the rebel capital, which fell to the British later that month.
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.
Casimir Pulaski
Chadds Ford Township, PA · est. 1975
Casimir Pulaski, a Polish nobleman exiled for resisting foreign rule, threw himself into the American cause and helped cover Washington's retreat from the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. Made a brigadier general, he became the first overall commander of the Continental Army's cavalry, earning fame as the "Father of the American Cavalry." He was mortally wounded leading a charge at the Siege of Savannah in 1779.