The Battle of Brandywine Study — Background Information
The Battle of Brandywine was a critical military engagement of the American Revolution that took place on September 11, 1777. Action (and events leading up to the day of battle) spanned approximately 35,000 acres over portions of both Chester County and Delaware County, as well as areas in New Castle County.
In 2013, the Brandywine Battlefield Preservation Plan was released (which stemmed from a recommendation in the 2010 Battlefield Study) to consolidate known information and strategize regionally on methods to work to preserve, connect, and raise awareness about the battlefield’s historic buildings, agricultural, and historic open space landscapes. It was the first battlefield-wide preservation plan and was completed as a regional planning effort, in cooperation with Brandywine Battlefield Task Force (BBTF) including working with the 15 battlefield municipalities. The 2013 plan recommended consideration of battle-related local planning, land conservation, historic resource protection, connectivity between sites, and heritage interpretation efforts (such as signage). The plan formed the concept for a coordinated network of battlefield heritage sites, called the Heritage Interpretive Network, which more recently evolved into a countywide strategy for connecting Heritage Sites, bolstering the local heritage economy, and encompassing multiple heritage themes though the 2024 Chester County Heritage Tourism Plan.
The 2013 plan identified battlefield strategic landscapes, which comprised important areas of battle events, lands, and historic buildings, but needed further evaluation for local planning including understanding what occurred where for directed historic landscapes conservation, historic resources identification and protection, and community and visitor education, outreach and heritage interpretation. Due to the battlefield's large size, strategic landscapes were divided into three phases for specific study encompassing different geographies of the battlefield — northern, southern, and eastern battlefield areas. Each phase resulted in one or more plans and technical reports. Northern Brandywine Battlefield is where tactical troop movements by the British occurred during the morning and into the afternoon the day of battle. Southern Brandywine Battlefield is where British staging and tactical military maneuvers occurred in the days leading up to and through morning the day of the battle.
Now in 2025, we are excited to share that the final strategic landscapes phase of study is complete for the Eastern Brandywine Battlefield, including combat areas in the Chadds Ford and Birmingham Road areas, and American encampment and movements into PA. Delaware County Planning Department completed prior study of the eastern most portion of the battlefield, where the last stand and strategic retreat of the Americans took place.
Throughout the phased studies, fascinating discoveries were made such as British and American routes, battle era roads that still exist today, skirmish sites, 1777-era property mapping, historic buildings that "witnessed" the battle, French and German journals entries located and translated into English, and more!
Brandywine Battlefield 2010 Study, 2013, Preservation Plan and three-phases of Strategic Landscapes studies were funded through multiple grants awarded by the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program. This planning and studies would not have been possible without that grant funding and updated and refined information through the three-phased study would not be available for our community to learn about the importance of the Battle of Brandywine in the pivotal British Philadelphia Campaign of 1777. Not only do we now know more about our nation's forging, but these planning studies enhance our ability to plan for the future without forgetting our past, including understanding historic landscapes for land preservation and historic resources for protection as well as vetted information for outreach and education for residents and others visiting Heritage Sites.
Chester County Archives provided critical project support through research using their archival documents to bring "alive" the 18th century landscape setting, which is still viewable today thanks to property owner, municipal, county, state, federal, nonprofit, and other partner’s dedicated and ongoing preservation efforts and stewardship.
Jeannine Spiers, of the Chester County Planning Commission, has been a leader in the phased studies. She notes:
"I'm happy to have been project-lead on this phased study, the point of which is not to just do research but to understand what and where battle-related activity occurred in order to plan and prioritize preservation efforts and convey up to date interpretive information. Military historians and Chester County Archives used, in some cases located, first-hand and other accounts, and in working with local historians, property owners, Karen Marshall (former CCPC Heritage preservation Coordinator), and historical commissions were able to ‘ground truth’ historic documents in today’s landscape. It’s rediscovering history. It’s amazing to have been part of a project with this high level of collaboration and using historic documents, in some cases over 200 years old, and thanks to ongoing dedicated preservation stewardship efforts, to have still visible battlefield landscapes and to the extent to be able to locate battle activity area today, nearly 250 years later!"
Acknowledgments
Brandywine Battlefield Task Force (BBTF) is a collaborative partnership of county, municipal, state, non-profit, and national organizations and community members working together for 31 years, since 1993, to provide outreach and education and to work to preserve Brandywine Battlefield, its history, stories, and resources. BBTF and its partners have received accolades for their battlefield efforts and the enduring BBTF partnership has been recognized as a national model. Some specific acknowledgements include: 2016 Preservation PA award for regional planning in a complex cultural landscape and collaborative partnership; PA Senate citation for the 2016 Preservation PA award; 2022 recognition by US House of Representatives, PA Senate, PA House of Representatives, and County Commissioners for collaborative public-private battlefield-wide historic marker project funded by PA Society of Sons of the Revolution and its Color Guard; American Battlefield Trust recognition of BBTF as a unique battlefield partnership at BBTF's 30 year anniversary event in 2023; 2023 PA Senate recognition of BBTF’s high quality of service, leadership in the community, and model partnership; 2023 County Commissioners recognition of BBTF partnership, leadership, and battlefield efforts; 2023 BBTF award to Jeannine Speirs for contributions in elevating the Battlefield as a national model of collaboration through coordinating groundbreaking planning efforts, fostering and building effective partnerships, and implementing key projects; and 2023 recognition by County Commissioners to Jeannine Speirs for her Brandywine Battlefield Task Force leadership, facilitation, and contributions.
BBTF is hosting a phased battlefield study celebratory event this summer — check out CCPC's social media and BBTF on Facebook for upcoming and other information. View the projects, interactive map of battle actions, and more information about the Battle of Brandywine.