With Philadelphia sitting as the seat of the revolutionary American government, the British looked to take that pivotal city.
On September 1777, the War for American Independence, in its second year, is in an uneasy stalemate. The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, scored two successes in late 1776 with victories at Trenton and Princeton. The British however, under General Sir William Howe, control New York City. Looking to put an end to the rebellion, Howe sets his eyes on Philadelphia, the American capital and seat of the Continental Congress.
Washington and the Continental Army are encamped at Morristown, New Jersey to keep an eye on the British in New York. The British make their move as Howe sails his troops out of the New York City harbor. Washington doesn't know where they are headed yet. He receives a report that they are nearing the mouth of the Delaware River, but the British keep sailing south. The fleet lands in the Chesapeake Bay, putting Philadelphia in great danger. Washington rushes south to defend his nation's capital.
Howe and his army, 15,000 strong, march up from Delaware into Pennsylvania. Washington sets up strong defense positions along fords at the Brandywine Creek, an advantageous position to repel the British theat. Howe knows the land better however, and sees two undefended fords that Washington has overlooked. He divides his forces and sends the majority of his soldiers north to flank the Continental Army. The remainder, 5,000 men, engage the American defense at Chadds Ford head on to distract them. |
The battle begins under heavy fog, which help screen the movements of the British army. The 5,000 British soldiers eventually push Washington's army back three miles. At 2 p.m., 10,000 British troops appear on the American's undefended right flank, threatening the army's complete annihilation. American divisions under Generals Sullivan, Stirling, and Stephen, frantically reposition and desperately fight to buy time. Most of the Continental Army is able to escape but Philadelphia falls into British hands.