My grandfather was a Whig or patriot in feeling, but he and his wife, being members of meeting, were non-combatants of course. His awkward position subjected them to be foraged upon and plundered by both armies. While Washington's outposts were watching for the British advance in Philadelphia, several officers, Gen Smallwood among the number, took up their quarters at their our house, remaining a short time. When the British troops appeared, however, the American outposts were withdrawn; and as the American commander had thrown up breastworks, or at least a battery of guns, on the hill back of Chad's house, it was known by the people that a battle was to be fought there; so farmers hid away everything that could be concealed. My grandmother was within a month of her confinement, and she and the children were sent a mils SW of their home, to Benjamin Lindsay's (afterwards Benjamin Taylor) farm. The cured meat was hidden in a recess of the NE wall of the house, while the men remained at home, awaiting the clash of arms. My great-uncle Isaac James, then but a stripling, was plowing in the field nearest to the battler-ground, less than 1/2 mile from where Knyphausen's guns, as I suppose, opened fire on Wayne's battery across the creek, whereupon the young man incontinently ran to the house to tell the news, leaving the horses hitched to the plow.
His timidity made little difference, however, for when both armies had left my grandfather had not a hoof left on the place, and even his wagons were taken; of course, most of his losses were by the British, who gleaned the ground last.
The 11th of September, 1777, was a very hot day, as I have often heard my grandfather say, and great numbers of the Hessians fell while fording the creek in their feints to assault Wayne's position. The history of the battle is well known; Knyphausen was only to amuse Wayne with attempts at a permanent crossing until late in the day, when Cornwallis should have turned Washington's left flank. Accordingly the Hessians had to make attempts at crossing to keep up appearances, which exposed them to Wayne's grape and canister at a quarter of a mie range. Grandmother asserted that great numbers were killed in the water, and many dropped down from excessive heat, and that the farmers for several days afterwards were fishing dead bodies from the water, and burying them and others left on the ground.
For a long time old people dated nearly everything by "the battle of Brandywine" - it was the universal era of the neighborhood. There was a current tradition that a long and expensive mill-race, owned by Wm Twaddle, below the battle-ground, was dug by the soldiers while waiting for the advance of the British, or by deserters from one or both armies afterwards; and it was further current that Twaddle, by some trick or device, did not fully compensate them for their work."
By M. Auge, grandson of Moses and Mary James Mendenhall, who lived on the west bank of the Brandywine.
This page updated on February 17, 2009