Brandywine Battlefield Park
1491 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA
Brandywine Battlefield Park
Date of Battle: September 11, 1777
The Battle
General William Howe takes the bulk of the British army aboard ship from New York to the Chesapeake Bay. He then marches north to take Philadelphia from the south. General Washington and the Continentals form a defensive line at Brandywine Creek, just south of Philadelphia.
The British occupy the attention of the Continentals at the creek, while moving a force across an unmonitored ford past the right flank of the Continental line. The Continentals attempt to block the flanking attack but are soon pushed from the field. The Continentals manage to withdraw, leaving the field to the British.
Visiting the Battleground
The Battle of Brandywine was the largest single day engagement of the American Revolution where nearly 30,000 soldiers squared off on a ten square mile area. Brandywine Battlefield Park is a 52-acre park that encompasses the epicenter of George Washington’s continental encampment.
Address: 1491 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA
Entrance fee: See the Brandywine Battlefield Park web site for current admission fees.
The visitor center offers an orientation film, exhibits, and a museum store. You can also tour two houses of significance in the park:
- Benjamin Ring House (Washington’s Headquarters): Prior to the battle, Washington established his headquarters in the house belonging to Benjamin Ring, a Quaker farmer and miller.
- Gideon Gilpin House: Gideon Gilpin was a Quaker farmer, living in this house with his family at the time of the battle. Gilpin’s property was ransacked by the victorious British forces following the battle.
Typically, the following annual events take place at the park:
- Encampment Day in May
- Remembrance Day on September 11
- Patriot's Day on the Saturday after Thanksgiving
Guided battlefield tours for groups can be arranged. For the 1 ½ hour bus tour, a well-informed guide onboard the bus will describe the various sites that encompass the massive landscape of the actual battle grounds.
Check the Brandywine Battlefield Park web site for information on hours of operation, house tours, and arranging a group tour.
→ Have you been here? Do you have suggestions for others who are passionate about history and want to make the most of their visit, or recommendations for things nearby that every history lover should see? Please send them in and we may add them to this page.
Contributor: This list of major Revolutionary War Battles and descriptions was written by Michael Troy, the creator and host of the American Revolution Podcast, who selected these sites and described the battles.
Photo: "Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site - Ring / Washington House" by Lee Cannon is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Editor: Creation of this trip, including additional research on visiting these historic sites, by Donna Keesling, editor at The History List.
Updated April 8, 2022
List of trips to this site
- Major Battles of the Revolutionary War Worth Visiting
- Road Trip to the Major Battlegrounds of the American Revolution