Brandywine Battlefield Park: The Battle of Brandywine

The Battle of Brandywine stands as the largest, single-day land battle of the American Revolution. On Sept. 11, 1777, British commander General William Howe divided his force, sending part of it against the Americans' front and the other part on a 15-mile march around the Americans' flank. American commander General George Washington was unprepared for this move and hurriedly sent 3 divisions to meet the British assault. These forces were not enough to stem the tide of British forces, and inevitably the Americans were forced to retreat. Although a loss, the Americans were able to live to fight another day.