Washington Comes To Wilmington

In the late summer of 1777, General George Washington brought his 15,000 man Continental army to Wilmington, Delaware. Washington intended to block General William Howe's army as they advanced from their landing site at Head of Elk on the upper Chesapeake Bay. Howe's objective was the capture of Philadelphia. Washington selected a defensive position near Wilmington in order to block Howe's route of march to Philadelphia. General Howe decided to outflank Washington's defenses at Wilmington by marching north into Pennsylvania. This great flanking movement forced Washington to rapidly retreat his army to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania where he met the British army in the epic battle of Brandywine. This book tells the story of both the defense of Wilmington and Washington's rapid march to block the British at Chadds Ford.