The Battle of Brandywine was fought Sept. 11, 1777 in Chadds Ford and Birmingham townships. But some recent findings indicate the battle could have been fought earlier in Delaware had circumstances been different, writes Rich Schwartzman for chaddsfordlive.com.

The battle could have been fought in Delaware had Gen. George Washington and British Gen. Sir William Howe made different decisions Sept. 7, 8, and 9, said Wade Catts, Brandywine Battlefield archaeologist and historian Robert Selig, speaking to the Brandywine Battlefield Task Force.

Chadds Ford “was Washington’s choice,” Selig said.

Both forces were in Delaware. It was Howe’s intention to take Philadelphia, and he tried to flank Washington’s troops so he could head toward the city without hindrance. But Washington kept his men moving to thwart Howe.

On Sept. 8, 1777, Washington decided to take a position in Chadds Ford and arrived Sept. 9. Howe arrived in Pennsylvania on Sept. 10 too late in the day to start a battle, Selig said.

Both sides had been skirmishing along the way through Delaware. Had any of those skirmishes flared, or had Washington decided to continue his tactics in Delaware the history of the battle would be different.

Read more about the Battle of Brandywine here.

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