Brandywine Flag

Brandywine Flag

Texas 144.1

$13.00 Sale

Items Available: 9
The Battle of Brandywine Creek near Chadds Ford, PA took place in the fall of 1777 during the British campaign to take Philadelphia, PA and snuff out the rebellion at its roots. Ultimately, the battle was a defeat for the continental forces and the British army was able to secure Philadelphia for nine months.  Despite the not so heroic outcome for our country, the battle stands out to history in other ways. It was the longest single-day battle of the war (11 hours) and had more troops in combat than any other battle of the war.
Most descriptions of this beautiful red flag attribute it to the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment due to inaccurate work on the flag's history in the early 1930s. More recent historical research has determined that the flag was actually that of the Chester County Militia of Pennsylvania and not the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment.  There was a captain named “Robert Wilson” in the 7th PA Regiment who is erroneously reported to be the flag’s ‘creator’ but a connection cannot be established between this Robert Wilson and the flag.  In fact, a different Robert Wilson of Chester County, PA served as a Lt. Colonel with the Chester County Militia and was responsible for militia equipment and for the flag’s preservation. 

Chester County, PA lies just west of Philadelphia and would have been a well settled county, easily within reach of ‘breaking’ news during colonial years.  Just a few months before the Battle of Brandywine, on June 14, 1777 (what we celebrate today as Flag Day in the US), the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which set forth the establishment of thirteen stars and thirteen stripes for flags of the fledgling country; their exact arrangement was not specified however.  That the flag originated with the Chester County PA Militia aligns with its proximity to Philadelphia and people’s emerging sense of union between the states in their struggle for independence. The Brandywine Flag is one the first known flags to have thirteen stars and thirteen stripes and have been flown in battle. 

Our distinctive Brandywine Flag patch will add distinctive, historical context to the other flag patches your collection.

  • 3x3'
  • Woven
  • Hook backing
  • Re-release date: 6/30/2020