Brandywine Battlefield Historical Study Compilation Now Complete
Three-Phase Study Revealed Significant Historical Discoveries in Chester County and Surrounding Region
Posted May 14, 2025
Over the last 12 years, a detailed study of the Battle of Brandywine has revealed the routes, roads, skirmish sites and historic buildings connected with this critical Revolutionary War engagement that took place in Chester County and the surrounding region. Pictured at the Birmingham Township Brandywine Battlefield Marker are (left to right) Wade Catts, Military Historian and Archeologist, South River Heritage; Jeannine Speirs of the Chester County Planning Commission; and Peter Adams, PA Society of Sons of the Revolution, and its Color Guard.
Over the last 12 years, a detailed study of the Battle of Brandywine has revealed the routes, roads, skirmish sites and historic buildings and landscapes connected with this critical Revolutionary War engagement that took place in Chester County and the surrounding region. The actions and events of the Battle, which spanned approximately 35,000 acres, have been revealed in a three-phase study that also uncovered French and German journal entries about the Battle, and created 1777-era property mapping.
All three portions of the study, led by the Chester County Planning Commission and Delaware County Planning Department with assistance of the Brandywine Battlefield Task Force, are now chronicled in the Brandywine Battlefield Phased Study, a compendium that covers the battlefield's northern, southern, and eastern areas, which also includes land in Delaware County and New Castle County, Delaware. The actions and events leading up to and on the day of battle — September 11, 1777 — are revealed in the historic landscapes that still exist today.
Jeannine Speirs of the Chester County Planning Commission has been a leader in the Brandywine Battlefield Phased Study and various related efforts. "It has been an honor to represent the Planning Commission on the Brandywine Battlefield Task Force for over 20 years, and especially to be part of this Study," said Speirs.
Chester County's Department of Archives & Records Services provided critical project support through archival documents that "brought alive" the 18th century landscape setting. "Many elements of the Battlefield area, which we discovered through our 12-year study, can still be seen today thanks to the work of Chester County's archivists, as well as property owners and municipal, county, state, federal, and nonprofit partners," added Speirs.
"It's amazing to have been part of a project with this high level of collaboration and using historic documents, in some cases over 200 years old, Thanks to ongoing dedicated preservation stewardship efforts, we have still-visible battlefield landscapes and can locate battle activity areas today, nearly 250 years later!"
Brandywine Battlefield planning and studies were funded through multiple grants awarded by the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program. "The grants made it possible to highlight the importance of the Battle of Brandywine in the pivotal British Philadelphia Campaign of 1777," noted Speirs. "Not only do we now know more about our nation's forging, but these planning studies enhance our ability to plan for the future without forgetting our past."
Follow up articles, along with the 250th anniversary of the nation in 2026 and the Battle of Brandywine in 2027, will feature details of Brandywine Battlefield phased study and its rediscoveries.
The Brandywine Battlefield Task Force is hosting a phased battlefield study celebration this summer — check out Chester County Planning Commission and Brandywine Battlefield Task Force on Facebook for details to come and other information.
Brandywine Battlefield Task Force (BBTF) is a collaborative partnership of county, municipal, state, non-profit, and national organizations and community members working together for 31 years, since 1993, to provide outreach and education and to work to preserve Brandywine Battlefield, its history, stories, and resources.