“The Heroes of Brandywine”
Presented by Travis Shaw,
Director of Education for the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area
Sunday, March 8, at 2:00 p.m.
St. James United Church of Christ,
10 East Broad Way, Lovettsville VA
Travis Shaw, the Director of Education for the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area, will lead a discussion about the role of Piedmont soldiers in the 1777 Battle at Brandywine, as the March offering of the Lovettsville Historical Society’s monthly lecture series.
The year 1777 was a crucial year for General Washington and the Continental Army. As they faced down the British Army at the Battle of Brandywine, soldiers from the Virginia Piedmont, serving in the 3rd Virginia Continental Regiment, fought with vigor against an onslaught of British troops
Formed in 1776, the 3rd Virginia Regiment was recruited largely in Prince William, Fauquier, and Loudoun Counties, with their officers drawn from a wide range of military veterans, landholders, and political leaders. In the summer of 1776, they marched northward and became the first of Virginia’s Continental Regiments to reach Washington’s army. Within a few days of their arrival, they received their baptism of fire, marking the first of many times that the regiment found itself at the forefront of the War for Independence.
Over the next year, the 3rd Virginia would fight through the campaigns around New York and New Jersey, lead the way across the Delaware River, and defend the Continental capital at Philadelphia. Their military career came to a brutal climax on September 11th, 1777, along the banks of Brandywine Creek in southeast Pennsylvania. The creek formed the best line of defense between Philadelphia and the British Army, and Washington was determined to make his stand there. Faced with aggressive British maneuvers, Washington spent much of the day vacillating, which almost led to the destruction of his army.
In the most desperate moment of the battle, as a powerful British force threatened to cut off his army, the 3rd Virginia was given the hopeless task of delaying the British as long as they could, buying precious time for Washington and the rest of the army. Learn about their desperate stand, as well as the legacy of the 3rd Virginia Regiment today.
Admission is free, but donations are welcome to defray expenses of the program and to support the activities of the Lovettsville Historical Society.
For more information, call 540-822-9194.