**Finalist, 2014, Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Book Award
Winner, 2015, American Revolution Round Table of Richmond Book Award
**
"Brandywine Creek calmly meanders through the Pennsylvania countryside
today, but on September 11, 1777, it served as the scenic backdrop for
the largest battle of the American Revolution, one that encompassed more
troops over more land than any combat fought on American soil until the
Civil War. Long overshadowed by the stunning American victory at
Saratoga, the complex British campaign that defeated George Washington's
colonial army and led to the capture of the capital city of Philadelphia
was one of the most important military events of the war. Michael C.
Harris's impressive Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that
Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777, is the first
full-length study of this pivotal engagement in many years.
General Sir William Howe launched his campaign in late July 1777, when
he loaded his army of 16,500 British and Hessian soldiers aboard a
265-ship armada in New York and set sail. Six difficult weeks later
Howe's expedition landed near Elkton, Maryland, and moved north into
Pennsylvania. Washington's rebel army harassed Howe's men at several
locations including a minor but violent skirmish at Cooch's Bridge in
Delaware on September 3. Another week of hit-and-run tactics followed
until Howe was within three miles of Chads's Ford on Brandywine Creek,
behind which Washington had posted his army in strategic blocking
positions along a six-mile front. The young colonial capital of
Philadelphia was just 25 miles farther east.
Obscured by darkness and a heavy morning fog, General Howe initiated his
plan of attack at 5:00 a.m. on September 11, pushing against the
American center at Chads's Ford with part of his army while the bulk of
his command swung around Washington's exposed right flank to deliver his
coup de main, destroy the colonials, and march on Philadelphia. Warned
of Howe's flanking attack just in time, American generals turned their
divisions to face the threat. The bitter fighting on Birmingham Hill
drove the Americans from the field, but their heroic defensive stand
saved Washington's army from destruction and proved that the nascent
Continental foot soldiers could stand toe-to-toe with their foe.
Although fighting would follow, Philadelphia fell to Howe's legions on
September 26.
Harris's Brandywine is the first complete study to merge the strategic,
political, and tactical history of this complex operation and important
set-piece battle into a single compelling account. More than a decade in
the making, his sweeping prose relies almost exclusively upon original
archival research and his personal knowledge of the terrain. Enhanced
with original maps, illustrations, and modern photos, and told largely
through the words of those who fought there, Brandywine will take its
place as one of the most important military studies of the American
Revolution ever written."
