A01=Robert Dunkerly
Adam Stephen
American Revolution
Anthony Wayne
Author_Robert Dunkerly
Battle of Brandywine
Battlefield maneuvers
Battlefield Preservation
Birmingham Hill
Birmingham Meeting House
Brandywine
Brigade of Guards
Casimir Pulaski
Category=NH
Chadds Ford
Charles Cornwallis
Continental Army
Delaware Regiment
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eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Grenadiers
Hessian Jaegers
John Sullivan
Joseph Bloomfield
Light Infantry
Linear combat
Lord Stirling
Maryland Line
Nathanael Greene
New Jersey Brigade
Philadelphia Campaign
Revolutionary War tactics
The Plowed Hil
Wilhelm Knyphausen
Product details
- ISBN 9781594164521
- Weight: 286g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 08 May 2025
- Publisher: Westholme Publishing, U.S.
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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A detailed study of the turning point in one of the most important battles in American history
The Battle of Brandywine, fought on September 11, 1777, along its namesake creek in the bucolic Pennsylvania countryside, was one of the largest engagements of the Revolutionary War. To those who participated in this massive battle, spread out over ten square miles and lasting from late afternoon until dark, it was unforgettable. Soon after the action, Major Joseph Bloomfield of the 3rd New Jersey recorded that it was “the grandest scene I ever saw, a sight beyond description.” Brandywine was the first major battle for the recently reorganized Continental Army. Units had fought in small engagements, but not until Brandywine did the army fight as a whole against the British. As the two armies clashed, a ferocious and desperate action developed on a hill at the heart of the battlefield, and it was here where the battle’s outcome was determined.
Despite its size and significance—Brandywine was the third bloodiest engagement of the war, with 1,300 American and 581 British casualties—the battle has been the subject of very few studies. In Decision at Brandywine: The Battle on Birmingham Hill, historian Robert M. Dunkerly analyzes the fighting near the Birmingham Meeting House where the battle turned. By dissecting the struggle on Birmingham Hill in detail, he offers a case study in weapons, tactics, and terrain analysis critical to a holistic understanding of the entire battle and what it would mean for the future of the Continental Army. In the process he not only explains how the Continental Army’s lack of uniformed training and inexperience in large open-field battles played a major role in their defeat, but also provides important information about Revolutionary War combat in general.
The Battle of Brandywine, fought on September 11, 1777, along its namesake creek in the bucolic Pennsylvania countryside, was one of the largest engagements of the Revolutionary War. To those who participated in this massive battle, spread out over ten square miles and lasting from late afternoon until dark, it was unforgettable. Soon after the action, Major Joseph Bloomfield of the 3rd New Jersey recorded that it was “the grandest scene I ever saw, a sight beyond description.” Brandywine was the first major battle for the recently reorganized Continental Army. Units had fought in small engagements, but not until Brandywine did the army fight as a whole against the British. As the two armies clashed, a ferocious and desperate action developed on a hill at the heart of the battlefield, and it was here where the battle’s outcome was determined.
Despite its size and significance—Brandywine was the third bloodiest engagement of the war, with 1,300 American and 581 British casualties—the battle has been the subject of very few studies. In Decision at Brandywine: The Battle on Birmingham Hill, historian Robert M. Dunkerly analyzes the fighting near the Birmingham Meeting House where the battle turned. By dissecting the struggle on Birmingham Hill in detail, he offers a case study in weapons, tactics, and terrain analysis critical to a holistic understanding of the entire battle and what it would mean for the future of the Continental Army. In the process he not only explains how the Continental Army’s lack of uniformed training and inexperience in large open-field battles played a major role in their defeat, but also provides important information about Revolutionary War combat in general.
ROBERT M. DUNKERLY is a historian, award-winning writer, and Park Ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park. He holds a BA in history from St. Vincent College and an MA in historic preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. He has worked at fourteen historic sites, written over a dozen books and numerous scholarly articles, and has taught courses at Central Virginia Community College and the University of Richmond.
