John Chad's House - PLAQUE
Chadds Ford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Proctor's American Artillery Occupied several Redoubts near This House at the Battle of Brandywine, September 11, 1777.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
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.
Why it matters
It ties an ordinary colonial farmstead to the American artillery's stand at Brandywine, showing how the Revolution reached into the homes and fields of the people who lived along its path.
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Related people
- · John Chad
- · Thomas Proctor
Related events
- · Battle of Brandywine
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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.
Casimir Pulaski
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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.
Brandywine Battlefield - Commonwealth Treasure
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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.
Birmingham Friends' Meeting House - PLAQUE
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