Battle+of+Brandywine

= Battle of Brandywine   =

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(Sep 12) 3:30 AM, let the battle begin. A battle full of strategic surprises led to a British victory yesterday September 11th, it was fought about 20 miles west of Philadelphia at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on Brandywine Creek. General [|George Washington] led 11,000 Americans to the scene, while [|General Sir William Howe] gathered 18,000 of his men to the battle.

After a month of strategic planning, Sir William Howe marched his troops toward Philadelphia. [|Washington] had been observing Howe and hurried over to make sure he didn't conquer the city. [|Marquis de Lafayette], a French alley, served Washington to fight for the same purpose as the whole American army, which was American freedom. He was a huge help to Washington in terms of training for the [|Continental Army]. media type="custom" key="7894569" width="140" height="140" align="right" Howe with his 18,000 men went to the American post at [|Brandywine Creek]. They exploded into a full-on attack on the 11,000 of George Washington's men, with Howe in front and Gen. [|Cornwallis] to the rigt. The Americans were totally unaware that the British would try to cross the creek in separate places and at all different directions, cornering them. Washington was left with very little options, therefore he backtracked to Chester, Pennsylvania.

The British were in America and we didn't want them in our country. A more detailed explanation of why the Battle of Brandywine Creek occured is that a goal was assigned to the Commander in Chief of the British Army in America. Sir William Howe’s objective was to capture [|Philadelphia] , which was the capital of the nation and a major supply center. Howe believed that by taking the supply center would create a disadvantage for the Americans, allowing the British army to have an advantageous position over America. The plan that was formulated by Howe is what caused the Battle of Brandywine to occur. America needed this supply center forcing Washington and his army to defend the supply center against Howe and the British army. Which in result created a battle of the British against the Americans that is now known as "The Battle of Brandywine Creek."



British deaths totaled to about 600 and American losses were 900 dead and wounded, along with 400 taken prisoner. One reason as to why there were so many casualties on both sides is due to the nature of the battle: it covered roughly a ten square mile area, heavily wooded. There was plenty of room for [|stragglers]. Men who fell were often sheltered in local farmhouses or buried by local residents. The Continental Army was still fairly undisciplined and disorganized. When it finally after the retreat at [|Sandy Hollow], accounting for the wounded and deserters became difficult. In addition, local [|Quaker] residents, who didn’t agree with the requested wartime on religious grounds, also refused to document the war, choosing instead to ignore it as best they could. One of the few written references to the conflict raging about them is the following cryptic [|Birmingham Meeting] entry:

"Today there was much confusion outside."

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=Questions:= =Why did the Battle of Brandywine occur?= =Why was the Battle of Brandywine crucial to the revolution?= =Where did the Battle of Brandywine occur?=