Brandywine: Birmingham Hill

At about 2 pm the British appear on the American right and rest on Osborne’s Hill. Washington gives Sullivan command of his own, Stirling’s and Stephen’s divisions and sends them north. Howe is slow to attack, and the three divisions gain time to form on high ground near the Birmingham meeting house.

The view from Osborne’s Hill along Birmingham Road towards the American positionsWikimedia Commons, Djmaschek, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Brandywine Osborne's Hill View.jpg)

The British attack at about 4 pm. The Brigade of Guards catches Philippe de Borre’s brigade on the American left before it has formed and routs Sullivan’s division. Stephen’s and Stirling’s divisions hold for a time, helped by a battery on a knoll between them. Then the British light infantry and the jägers force Stephen back, and a bayonet charge by the grenadiers in the centre forces Stirling to retreat. Lafayette is wounded in the leg.

Sources

Michael C. Harris, Brandywine (2014).
Thomas J. McGuire, The Philadelphia Campaign, volume 1 (2006).

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