The Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of the Brandywine was a critical military encounter of the American Revolution. Lands within and leading to this battle, spanning both Chester and Delaware counties, are considered a significant historic landscape by Landscapes3. To plan for the historic resources and landscapes within the battlefield, it is important to understand how and where battle activities occurred and what features of the 1777 landscape remain today.
Recent Activity
Updated Interactive Mapping
As part of a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program, the Animated Battle Action Map that was created in 2010 was updated in 2019. The Interctive Map is an excellent educational tool that shows a general overview of the battle in an easy to use format. With the newly understood information, animation is divided into two parts.
- Part 1 displays troop activity leading up to the day of the battle, covering Sept. 8, 1777 – Sept. 10, 1777.
- Part 2 shows troop activity on the day of battle, Sept. 11, 1777.
Brandywine Battlefield Task Force Webinar
The Chester County Planning Commission hosted a webinar highlighting new findings about the Battle of Brandywine on December 17th via Zoom. The webinar featured an engaging presentation of key battle areas in the battlefield's southern region, as well as a sneak-peek into the next phase of the battlefield's plan — the eastern region. View Recording
Specific Plans that implement recommendations of the Brandywine Battlefield Preservation Plan
Southern Battlefield Plan
The 2013 Brandywine Battlefield Preservation Plan recommended battlefield strategic landscapes for further consideration, such as battle-related local planning, land conservation, historic resource protection, and heritage interpretation efforts, to be examined in phases. A Plan is complete for: Crown Force Approach, Crown Force Encampment, Lower Flank Northern Column, and Eastern Column Advance Landscapes. The project covers: Kennett, New Garden, East Marlborough, and Pennsbury Townships and Kennett Square Borough, Chester County, as well as a portion of New Castle County DE. View Plan
Together, the four Strategic Landscapes form the Southern Brandywine Battlefield, where Crown Force tactical military activity occurred in the days leading up to and through morning of the day of the battle, September 11, 1777. Collectively, planning efforts seek to honor and preserve areas that exhibit Chester County's, as well as New Castle County's, role in American history and our nation's founding, while maintaining a sense of place and enhanced quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors.
The Brandywine Battlefield historic record for Southern Battlefield Strategic Landscapes areas, including locations of battlefield events, actions, and places, was examined by Philadelphia Campaign military historians funded by American Battlefield Protection Program grants to Chester County Planning Commission. Firsthand accounts and sources, archival records, historic maps, and other materials were researched and examined. Chester County Archives partnered to provide battle-era road and property information. The land area is large and two Technical Report for Southern Battlefield Strategic Landscapes areas resulted, which provide best-known to-date updated detailed battle history and locations — The Army March'd at Day Break Technical Report and the Left Newport… Before Daylight and March'd to Chads Ford Technical Report. This updated battle history and locations is used in the Southern Battlefield Strategic Landscapes Plan.
Northern Battlefield Plans
The 2013 Brandywine Battlefield Preservation Plan recommended battlefield strategic landscapes for further consideration, such as battle-related local planning, land conservation, historic resource protection, and heritage interpretation efforts, to be examined in phases. Plans are complete for:
- Marshallton Strategic Landscape
(East Bradford, West Bradford, and Pocopson Townships in Chester County) - Trimble's Ford and Jefferis' Ford Strategic Landscapes
(East Bradford, West Bradford, and Pocopson Townships in Chester County) - Sconnelltown/Strode's Mill Strategic Landscape
(East Bradfort Township, Chester County) - Rearguard Defense Strategic Landscape and Strategic Retreat Strategic Landscape
(Chadds Ford, Thornbury, and Concord Townships in Delaware County)
Together, the four landscapes in Chester County form the northern Brandywine Battlefield, where tactical battle staging occurred during the morning and into the afternoon the day of the battle, September 11, 1777. The landscapes in Delaware County represent the final legs of the battle, including the "last stand" of the battle and the American Retreat. Collectively, these planning efforts seek to honor and preserve areas that exhibit Chester County's and Delaware County's role in American history and our nation's founding, while maintaining a sense of place and enhanced quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors.
The Brandywine Battlefield historic record for Northern Battlefield Strategic Landscapes areas, including locations of battlefield events, actions, and places, was examined by Philadelphia Campaign military historians funded by an American Battlefield Protection Program grant to Chester County Planning Commission. Firsthand accounts and sources, archival records, historic maps, and other materials were researched and examined. Chester County Archives partnered to provide battle-era road and property information. A Technical Report for Northern Battlefield Strategic Landscapes areas resulted, which provides best-known to-date updated detailed battle history and locations. This updated battle history and locations is used in Northern Battlefield Strategic Landscapes Plans.
A grant was received from the American Battlefield Protection Program to continue research and planning efforts in the combat areas of the eastern battlefield. Work on this project is soon completing.
Brandywine Battlefield Preservation Plan
This 2013 plan presents recommendations on how to better preserve the battlefield's open spaces and historic landscapes. Over 200 historic resources that were the location of combat and of battle-related events are inventoried, including buildings, meetinghouses, fords, and landscapes. View Publication
This Plan provides a compilation of known Brandywine Battlefield history and planning as of 2013, the time of the Plan. It remains a useful document to provide the baseline of Battlefield planning, including this Plan developing the Heritage Interpretive Network Concept for coordinated public outreach.
This Plan recommended further examining the Battlefield for local planning purposes. As a result, there are specific plans, termed "Strategic Landscapes Plans", and related "Technical Reports". These documents provide updated information on Brandywine Battlefield history, actions, and locations; battle-era historic properties; heritage interpretive efforts; and preservation planning.
2010 Battlefield Study
As part of this effort a report and video were created and an animated map of troop movements was developed (since updated and refined, see Recent Activity).
The report included maps of the extent of the battlefield and a recommendation to complete a battlefield preservation plan (completed in 2013). The mapped battlefield from this study is currently the American Battlefield Protection Program's accepted battlefield bounds. View Report
The video, "The Battle of Brandywine", features the sequence of battle activities, military artwork by Bryant White and Pamela Patrick White, and terrain and cultural resource analysis that brings the animated map and the project to life. View Videos
Battlefield Protection Strategies, A Guide for Brandywine Battlefield Communities
This guide was developed in 2000 for use by the communities within the battlefield to assist in efforts for its protection and that of related resources. When this guide was created the extent of the battlefield was not yet known, and so the battlefield land area is discussed in a more limited context. View Publication