The Battle of Brandywine was fought in Philadelphia on September 11, 1777 during the American Revolution. The enemy was the British soldiers who sought to capture Philadelphia, the revolutionary state. The British came strong with 17,000 troops under the command of General Howe. The Americans, lead by General George Washington were outnumbers with 10,000 militia men. In analyzing this battle, I will discuss several key factors in terms of METT-TC, OAKOC, and the Principles of War that influenced the outcome of the British capturing Philadelphia (To emphasize these principles I will italicize METT-TC, OAKOC).
In July 1777, the British landed off the coast of New Jersey with an armanda of more that 260 ships carrying …show more content…
At the time Washington received several contradicting reports about the British troop movement and continued to believe they were going to attack from Chadds Ford. The British appeared on the American flank around 2 p.m. that day. With the Americans outflanked/out maneuvered and surprised, they attempted to reposition their troops to meet the unexpected attacks from their right. The British were slow to attack which bought time for the Americans to position some of their men on high ground near the Birmingham Meeting House, a few miles north of Chadds Ford. The British attacked causing Washington’s army in Chadds Ford to bear most of the brunt and eventually retreat. The American were also forced to leave behind most of their cannons because their artillery horses were killed (supply). On the east bank of Brandywine, the British launched an attack against the weakened Americans forcing several division to retreat and leave behind most of their cannons also. General John Armstrong who was employed by General Washington to overlook Chadds Ford with 1,000 troops never engaged in combat and ultimately retreated. Darkness brought the British offensive to a halt. Most of the defeated Americans retreat to Chester. This battle demonstrated several principles of war by employed by the British, mass/shock and awe, offensive, and surprised.
Although Howe had defeated the American army, the unexpected