The Brandywine Battle: the untold story of its history and preservation: A Generational Effort to Save the Vanishing Battlefield of September

This is the story of how dedicated citizens (like us) through many generations saved the site of the Battle of Brandywine so we can walk the “sacred ground” today. They worked to honor the sacrifices of the new Americans who fought there on September 11, 1777. (This was the first 9/11!) Most of us don’t know their names. This book tells what they accomplished. Some stories are quite poignant. See the picture of Chris Sanderson on page 81. He and his mother lived in the building that was Washington’s headquarters during the battle and he spent years of personal struggle to honor George Washington by restoring and preserving it. It was destroyed by fire in 1931. He is kneeling in its burned-out ruins. There are contemporary descriptions of the battle and personal anecdotes. Local residents will find the author has tied some battlefield events to current locations to make them easy to find. In the Spies and Traitors section we learn of the local spies who guided the redcoats through Chester County and the spy who was a member of the first Continental Congress and close friend of Ben Franklin. Anyone who enjoys reading about American history and how historic sites are saved for future generations should buy this very readable detailed history.