Reenacting the Battle of the Brandywine: Sep 11, 1777

All original photos, videos, and descriptions from a reenactment of the Battle of the Brandywine, which occurred during the American Revolutionary War. Videos include West Chester's Bayard Rustin High School Concert Choir, and a fife and drum corps from New Jersey.

Today, @cmp2020 and @cmac performed with their high school choir at an event to reenact the Battle of the Brandywine, in Brandywine Township, near West Chester, Pennsylvania. I had some time to kill between drop-off time and the performance, so I wandered around taking photos, and thought I'd post them here.

Gadsden Flag, Viewed from behind

The reenactment is described at brandywine2017.org. I drive past the Brandywine Battlefield all the time, and I was told that one of my family members from an earlier generation was even involved in getting the battlefield recognized as a historic landmark, presumably in the 1940s, but it's still easy for me to forget about the historical significance of the place. So today was a nice reminder of the rich history that's associated with so many of the places we encounter in south-eastern Pennsylvania. According to a speaker this morning, there were around 800 reenactors from places as far away as Ontario and Florida!

The wikipedia page for the battle itself reads like a "Who's Who of the American Revolution," including names like Cornwallis, Howe, Washington, and Wayne. According to speakers at the event today, Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis De Lafayette were also there. La Fayette even took a bullet in the left leg.

The Battle of the Brandywine - Yet another September 11

The battle took place on September 11, 1777 early in the American Revolution, when the British were marching on Philadelphia from the Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland. According to a speaker today, General George Washington and Lafayette scouted out the Brandywine creek in order to intercept the British. Unfortunately, they suffered from an immature military intelligence apparatus, and they were outdone by British scouts and local informants.

Wikipedia informs that Washington set up his defenses in Chadds Ford, hoping to catch the British in a natural bottleneck when they attempted to ford the creek. Most of the British forces, however, declined to cross the creek in Chadds Ford, crossing instead to the north of the Americans at Jefferis' Ford, which Washington's scouting had missed. Having done so, they were able to engage the Americans on their flanks and overwhelm them with superior position and numbers. So many of the American artillery horses were killed that the Americans were forced to leave behind most of their cannons when retreating.

The loss of this battle allowed the British to continue on and capture Philadelphia, but valiant efforts protecting the exposed flank from Generals Sullivan and Greene (who arrived with reinforcements) prevented the outcome from being worse, and as a result the colonial forces were not demoralized.

Pictures and Videos from today

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay around for the actual battle reenactment, but I was able to wander around and get some photos before the crowds got heavy. All photos and videos in this section were taken by me.

Videos

I didn't catch the name of the performing organization, but I did hear that they came from New Jersey. This fife and drum corps opened up the day's "official" proceedings.

And here is the Rustin High School Concert Choir singing the British, French, and American national anthems. No idea who the lady singing along for the French anthem was - maybe she's one of the kid's parents, too? - she sure enjoyed herself, though! I didn't even notice her until @cmp2020 and I watched the video afterwards. By the way, I hope he doesn't mind being called out, but @cmac is up there too. You can't really see either of them very clearly from this camera angle, though.

Photos:

This is @cmp2020 with the camp and battlefield behind him

And this is the flag of the Sixth Pennsylvania Regiment (with some British reenactors marching past)

A close up of one of the camp sites

No idea what this flag was, but I thought it looked pretty cool

Another generation of colonials taking up the drum

Starting the day with safety checks

Soldiers, soldiers, and more soldiers

Musket storage

The view from the top of the hill

Another consequence of this defeat was the nearby Paoli Massacre, a week and a half later.

Conclusion

So if you're looking for something to do around September 11 next year, check and see if they're holding another reenactment. It's a fun way to mix education and entertainment.