Battle of the Brandywine

Battle of the Brandywine, engagement of the American War of Independence, fought on September 11, 1777, near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, about 40 km (25 mi) south-west of Philadelphia. The British general Sir William Howe, then commander in chief of all British forces in America, and 18,000 soldiers reached American positions along Brandywine Creek, a tributary of the Delaware River, during a march on Philadelphia, then capital of the United States. The British made a frontal feint at the American force of about 11,000 men under General George Washington, preliminary to a full-scale attack on its right wing. The surprise attack on the American right was made by the British general Charles Cornwallis. The Americans were forced to fall back, and Washington ordered a withdrawal to Chester, Pennsylvania. Rearguard units blocked British pursuit, and Howe was unable to reach Philadelphia until September 26. British casualties totalled about 600; American, about 900 killed and wounded and 400 men taken prisoner.