make some sacrifice, and gratify the nation by a battle. Europe even
expected it; and although he had been created a dictator for six
months, the General thought he ought to submit everything to the
orders of congress, and to the deliberations of a council of war.

After having advanced as far as Wilmington, the general had detached a
thousand men under Maxwell, the most ancient brigadier in the army. At
the first march of the English, he was beaten by their advance guard
near Christiana Bridge. During that time the army took but an
indifferent station at Newport; they then removed a little south,
waited two days for the enemy, and, at the moment when these were
marching upon their right wing, a nocturnal council of war decided
that the army was to proceed to the Brandywine. The stream bearing
that name covered its front; the ford called Chad's Ford, placed
nearly in the centre, was defended by batteries. It was in that
scarcely examined station that, in obedience to a letter from
congress, the Americans awaited the battle. The evening of the 10th of
September, Howe advanced in two columns, and, by a very fine movement,
the left column (about 8000 men under Lord Cornwallis, with grenadiers
and guards) directed themselves towards the fords of Birmingham, three
miles on our right; the other column continued its road, and at about
nine o'clock in the morning it appeared on the other side of the
stream. The enemy was so near the skirts of the wood that it was
impossible to judge of his force some time was lost in a mutual
cannonading. General Washington walked along his two lines, and was
received with acclamations which seemed to promise him success. The
intelligence that was received of the movements of Cornwallis was both
confused and contradictory; owing to the conformity of name betwixt
two roads that were of equal length and parallel to each other, the
best officers were mistaken in their reports. The only musket shots