Of the 20,000 soldiers Washington had defending the ford, 861 were killed and about 14,800 captured, many of whom were wounded. [3] General Howe's report to the British colonial secretary, Lord George Germain, said that the Americans, "had about 300 men killed, 600 wounded, and near 400 made prisoners".[3]. The British. Taking up positions along Brandywine Creek, Washington mistakenly believed that his army blocked all fords across the Brandywine. However, the southern colonies were still occupied by the patriots under the leadership of General William Moultrie and the Marquis de Lafayette, who had avoided capture at Brandywine and traveled south, realizing that the northern campaign was over. Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 103rd Engineer Battalion. Due to poor scouting, the Americans did not detect Howe's column until it reached a position in rear of their right flank. For around ninety minutes heavy fighting swirled around the Birmingham Meeting House and what is now known as Battle Hill with the British slowly pushing the Americans back. No casualty return for the American army at Brandywine survives and no figures, official or otherwise, were ever released. Washington was confident that the area was secure. The British grouped forces at nearby Kennett Square. Sullivan, Stephen, and Stirling attempted to reposition their divisions to meet the surprise attack, but underestimated the swiftness of Howe's attack, which routed Stephen and Stirling's units. On September 9, Washington positioned detachments to guard other fords above and below Chadds Ford, hoping to force the battle there. A bayonet charge by the British grenadier battalions, in the center, similarly forced Stirling to retreat. When darkness fell, Greene's division finally began the march to Chester along with the rest of the army. General Washington offered battle with his army posted behind Brandywine Creek, off the Christina River. Brandywine Creek, off the Christina River, There are only thirty currently existing units in the U.S. Army with lineages that go back to the colonial era, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, List of American Revolutionary War battles, "Cornwallis's March: Driving Tour of the Brandywine Battlefield Region", "1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment", Battle of Brandywine at BritishBattles.com, Animated History of the Battle of Brandywine, The Battle of the Brandywine in Pennsbury Township, Pennsylvania Constitutionhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, 1788–89 United States presidential election, Samuel Osgood House, First Presidential Mansion, Alexander Macomb House, Second Presidential Mansion, General George Washington Resigning His Commission, Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, List of places named for the Marquis de Lafayette, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, African Americans in the Revolutionary War, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Brandywine&oldid=986877299, Battles of the American Revolutionary War in Pennsylvania, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 November 2020, at 14:47. As Washington's army streamed away in retreat, he brought up elements of General Nathanael Greene's division which held off Howe's column long enough for his army to escape to the northeast. A … After a stiff fight, Howe's wing broke through the newly formed American right wing which was deployed on several hills. On that date, Howe ordered the execution of the four for "treason against the crown." The Battle of Brandywine cost Washington around 1,000 killed, wounded, and captured as well as most of his artillery, while British losses were 93 killed, 488 wounded, and 6 missing. Five days later, Howe finally out-maneuvered Washington and marched into Philadelphia unopposed. In late August 1777, after a distressing 34-day journey from Sandy Hook on the coast of New Jersey, a Royal Navy fleet of more than 260 ships carrying some 17,000 British troops under the command of British General Sir William Howe landed at the head of the Elk River, on the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay near present-day Elkton, Maryland (then known as Head of Elk), approximately 40–50 miles (60–80 km) southwest of Philadelphia. Unloading the ships proved to be a logistical problem because the narrow river neck was shallow and muddy. September 11, 1777 began with heavy fog along the Brandywine River, providing cover for the British troops. From the Meetinghouse grounds, the battle continued for three miles to the Brandywine Creek, at Chadds Ford. The campaign began when British forces, led by General Sir William Howe departed New York City and sailed up the Chesapeake Bay. September 11, 1777 began with heavy fog along the Brandywine River, providing cover for the British troops. Retreating from Brandywine, Washington's army fell back on Chester feeling that it had merely lost a battle and desiring another fight. [17] This would suggest that of the "near 400" prisoners reported by Howe, only about 50 had surrendered unwounded. The British army was not able to pursue due to the onset of night. The Battle of Brandywine cost Washington around 1,000 killed, wounded, and captured as well as most of his artillery, while British losses were 93 killed, 488 wounded, and 6 missing. The British entered Philadelphia unopposed on September 19, 1777, occupying the Continental Capital. Two hours after the initial flanking attack, all three division were out of action with Stephen and Stirling in mass retreat and Sullivan's division captured by the British. Most of their horses had died… Retreated to Chester. [13], The official British casualty list detailed 587 casualties: 93 killed (eight officers, seven sergeants and 78 rank and file); 488 wounded (49 officers, 40 sergeants, four drummers and 395 rank and file); and six rank and file missing unaccounted for. General Sullivan had been killed during the capture of his division earlier in the day. Howe's army departed from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, across New York Bay from the occupied town of New York City on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, on July 23, 1777, and landed near present-day Elkton, Maryland, at the point of the "Head of Elk" by the Elk River at the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay, at the southern mouth of the Susquehanna River. Forward defenses of the American right-wing. To their left, covering Pyle's Ford, were around 1,000 Pennsylvania militia led by Major General John Armstrong. Landing in northern Maryland, the British advanced northeast towards Washington's army. This new line was under the oversight of Sullivan and command of his division devolved to Brigadier General Preudhomme de Borre. [12] The 2nd Battalion of Grenadiers was nearing their position, and was joined by a fresh reserve brigade (the 4th British Brigade). The militia, never engaging in battle, broke rank and fled before facing the British. Washington had committed a serious error in leaving his right flank wide open and nearly brought about his army's annihilation had it not been for Sullivan, Stirling and Stephen's divisions, which fought for time. The British continued to advance and encountered a greater force of continentals behind the stone walls on the Old Kennett Meetinghouse grounds. The resulting fight was one of the longest one-day battles of the war and saw the British force Washington's men to retreat. [6] Marching north, the British Army brushed aside American light forces in a few skirmishes. The 17 mile flank march took approximately 9 hours to complete. Wintered at Valley Forge. [11] By 4 p.m., the British attacked. While this led to the American commander considering a strike on Knyphausen, he demurred when he received one report that convinced him the earlier ones were incorrect. General George Washington had situated the American forces, about 20,300-strong, between Head of Elk and Philadelphia. On September 11, 1777, the two armies met with disastrous results for the American patriotic cause, the battle ending in an American defeat. The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Clashing along the Brandywine River, Howe attempted to flank the American position. There are only thirty currently existing units in the U.S. Army with lineages that go back to the colonial era. Marched through Darby to Germantown. Upon hearing the attack of Cornwallis's column, Knyphausen launched an attack against the weakened American center across Chadds Ford, breaking through the divisions commanded by Wayne and William Maxwell and forcing them to retreat and leave behind most of their cannons. The British appeared on the Americans' right flank at around 2 p.m. and took a much needed rest on Osbourne's Hill, a commanding position North of the Continental army. [3] Only 40 of the British Army's casualties were Hessians. American General George Washington had positioned his 20,000 Continental soldiers between the Chesapeake and Philadelphia in an attempt to defend the Continental Capital. The official British casualty list detailed 748 casualties; 114 killed and 634 wounded. Among the American wounded was the newly arrived Marquis de Lafayette. He instead employed a flanking maneuver, similar to that used in the Battle of Long Island. It is part of the site of the Battle of Brandywine fought on September 11, 1777, during the American Revolution. 217–219. [7] The defeat and subsequent maneuvers left Philadelphia vulnerable. Although Howe had defeated the American army, his lack of cavalry prevented its total destruction. About five hundred American soldiers failed to arrive in Chester, officially reported as missing, although many probably returned to their homes after the defeat without stopping in Chester.