February 8, 2022

Plans are being worked out for the 245^th anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine. Organizers are still getting their ducks in a row, and the only definite right now is the date and location. The reenactment is scheduled for Sept. 24 and 25 at Sandy Hollow in Birmingham Township.

The bulk of the fighting during the Sept. 11, 1777 battle was at Sandy Hollow. It was the largest land battle of the American War for Independence against Britain.

While the battle was a tactical loss for forces under Gen. George Washington, it was a strategic victory for the colonials because the fight slowed the British move on Philadelphia, allowing the Continental Congress members to avoid capture. And with the thousands of British troops here, that gave the Americans a numerical edge at Saratoga, N.Y. The American victory there convinced the French to enter the conflict on the American side.

Randell Spackman, president of the Chadds Ford Historical Society, gave Birmingham Township supervisors a brief rundown on the planning during the supervisors’ Feb. 7 meeting. He said logistics still need to be worked out, such as parking, port-a-potties, and food vendors, but reenactors and other parties are eager for the event.

Spackman said in addition to reenactor groups representing British and American soldiers, “We have several regiments from England and France coming out. We have [students from] local school districts interested in performing national anthems.”

Spackman said they don’t want the event to be any bigger than the one in 2017, and some things need to be ironed out based on what was learned in 2017 and 2014. He added that the Facebook page Brandywine 2022 is getting a lot of interest.

One of the things Spackman and the other organizers are looking for is more volunteers. But the one thing he wants people everywhere to know is what happened here in 1777.