It’s been five years since Michael Harris made an official appearance in Chadds Ford Township. Harris was the education coordinator at the Brandywine Battlefield Park when the state stopped operating the site in August of 2009. Harris was laid off.
And while it might not have been a hero’s return, Harris was in town for Chadds Ford Days, selling copies of his new book “Brandywine: The military history of the battle that lost Philadelphia, but saved America.”
Harris began working on the book while still at the park because “I was angry that there wasn’t a good book on the battle,” he said.
By good, Harris meant that too many books rely on myth.
He was trying to dispel myths about Brandywine while employed at the park. One point he made clear at the time was that the Gilpin House was never used as a headquarters for Lafayette. That house was too far away from the Ring House, which was Gen. George Washington’s headquarters prior to the battle.
Other myths that Harris wants to put an end to regard Squire Cheyney and that Brandywine was the first battle in which colonial forces flew the stars and stripes.
“I’ve found no primary evidence for either,” Harris said.
Folklore and myth say Squire Thomas Cheyney tried to warn Washington that the British were flanking his position. Harris, however, said there’s no evidence backing up the tale.
He also said there’s nothing he could find that supports the allegation that Betsy Ross’s flag flew during the battle.
Harris does assert — as the subtitle of his book implies — that while the Battle of Brandywine was a tactical victory for the British, it was a strategic victory for independence.
Washington’s forces lost the battle, but the British were so depleted it took an extra five days for them to reach Philadelphia. That gave members of the Continental Congress time to get out of town and avoid capture.
Furthermore, with British Gen. William Howe and his forces in the Brandywine Valley, they weren’t in Saratoga, N.Y. where they were supposed to be supporting Gen. John Burgoyne. That led to Britain losing at Saratoga, which helped convince France to side with the Americans against Britain.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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