Philadelphia was a central location to much that went on during the American Revolutionary War. Home of Robert Morris, who worked so hard to pay the Continental Army’s troops, General Washington marched with his army along Front Street on his way to protect the city from British attack at the Battle of Brandywine on 9/11 of 1777!
Your tour will get you out into the surrounding countryside, filled with beautiful landscapes and rolling hills. Your tour can consist of some or all of the following:
· Fort Mifflin – often considered to be the Fort that saved the war for the Continental Army, helping to keep British supplies out of the city as the patriots looked for somewhere to spend the Winter.
· Battle of Brandywine. Fought in the area on September 11th 1777, the British won this battle and forced Washington’s army into retreat. Your tour of the battlefield will provide you with great views, colorful history and you’ll be able to envision the lines of British and Patriot armies lined up on the hills. This area is also filled with so much more that will hold your interest, from the mansions of the DuPont family to the Brandywine River Museum, filled with the works of N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth.
· Site of the battle of Paoli, in modern day Malvern. Legend goes that a local blacksmith was tortured in the General Warren Inn so that the British could find out where General Anthony Wayne’s forces were camped.
· Valley Forge. This famous encampment during the winter of 1777 and 1778 is thought to be the turning point of the war, during which time Baron von Steuben retrained the troops and improved their battle readiness. The area is filled with reminders of the struggles of normal soldiers, many of which were followed by wives and children, and you’ll see the headquarters of General Washington.
· Battle of Germantown. Following the Battle of Brandywine, the Americans attempted to take the city back, attacking at the north of the city at Germantown. Central to this piece of history was Cliveden House the home of Benjamin Chew, and site of a pitched battle between the attacking Americans and the British troops set up in the house.