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The Philadelphia Campaign Bibliography
Further Reading

Boatner, Mark M. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. New York: McKay & Co., 1966.

Standard reference source for the Revolutionary War.

Buchanan, John. The Road to Valley Forge: How Washington Built the Army That Won the Revolution. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, 2004.

Cullen, Joseph P. "Not a Better Soldier in the Army: General William Howe." American History Illustrated:7 (1972): 24-32.

Cullen's profile of Howe offers subtle insights into a complicated personality.

Cullen, Joseph P. "Brandywine Creek." American History Illustrated:15 (1980): 40-43.

This article captures the main themes of the battle in an especially efficient, engaging manner.

Eller, Ernest McNeill, ed.. Chesapeake Bay in the American Revolution. Centreville, MD: Tidewater Publishers, 1981.

Useful for understanding the origins of the Philadelphia Campaign.

Gifford, Edward S. The American Revolution in the Delaware Valley. Philadelphia, Pa.: Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution, 1976.

This excellent study contains a wealth of observations from diaries, letters and reminiscences and offers probably the best starting point for any serious student.

Harris, Michael. Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2014.

Published in 2014, this is the best book-length history of the Battle of Brandywine.

Higginbotham, Don. The War of American Independence: Military Attitudes, Policies and Practice, 1763-1789. New York: Macmillan, 1971.

Standard history of the war by one of the nation's leading military historians.

Jackson, John W. With the British Army in Philadelphia, 1777-1778. San Rafael, CA: Presidio Press, 1979.

A strong study of the British occupation of Philadelphia.

Kashatus III, William C. "The Apotheosis of George Washington: America's Cincinnatus and the Valley Forge Encampment." Pennsylvania Heritage:20 (1994): 32-37.

Engaging analysis of this key moment in Washington's transformation as a leader.

McGuire, Thomas J. The Surprise of Germantown: October 4, 1777. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 1994.

A careful, well illustrated study of this important battle that focuses extensively on Cliveden, the Chew Mansion in Germantown.

Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.

A fine general overview of the war and both its causes and consequences, this well written book is a terrific starting point for any serious student of the conflict.

Miller, Arthur P. and Marjorie L. Miller. Pennsylvania Battlefields and Military Landmarks. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2000.

Strong general battlefield guide, especially useful for the Revolutionary period.

Quarles, Benjamin. The Negro in the American Revolution. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1961.

A groundbreaking study, Quarles's book presents an insightful overview of the story of African-Americans in the Revolutionary War.

Royster, Charles. A Revolutionary People at War: The Continental Army and American Character, 1775-1783. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981.

This book presents a sophisticated analysis of the attitudes of the American people about their war for independence and their army. The study includes a long, powerful chapter on Valley Forge.

Sheldon, Richard N. "Editing an Historical Manuscript: Jared Sparks, DOuglass Southall Freeman, and the Battle of Brandywine." William and Mary Quarterly:36 (1979): 255-263.

A fascinating account of the problems of historical editing, this article will appeal primarily to academic historians or serious Revolutionary War buffs.

Silverman, Sharon Hernes. "The Boat Ride that Changed America: Washington Crossing Historic Park." Pennsylvania Heritage:25 (1999): 12-21.

Good, well illustrated overview of the surprise raid on Trenton.

Smith, Samuel Stelle. Fight for the Delaware, 1777. Monmouth Beach, NJ: Philip Freneau Press, 1970.

A well illustrated, concise account of the fall of Fort Mifflin and other American strongholds on the Delaware River.

Stoudt, John Joseph. Ordeal at Valley Forge: A Day-by-Day Chronicle from December 17, 1777 to June 18, 1778, Compiled from the Sources. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1963.

Exhaustive day-by-day account of the Valley Forge experience.

Treese, Lorett. Valley Forge: Making and Remaking a National Symbol. University Park, PA: Penn State Press, 1995.

Respected academic monograph that details the remarkable evolution of Valley Forge as a public symbol of the Revolution.

Ward, Christopher. The War of the Revolution. Edited by John Richard Alden New York: Macmillan, 1952.

Widely regarded traditional narrative of the American Revolution.

Webster, Nancy V. "Brandywine Battlefield Park." Pennsylvania Heritage:23 (1997): 14-21.

Strong overview of the battle with emphasis on the physical layout of the region.


Web Guide

Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates http://brandywinebattlefield.org/?page_id=112

This official website for the Brandywine Battlefield Park includes information about Park events, hours, self-guided tours, history of the battle, the Museum Shop, and other resources.

Delcohistory.org, "Ashmead's History of Delaware County" http://www.delcohistory.org/ashmead/index.htm

A superb resource for anyone interested in the Battle of Brandywine, this site offers a full-text searchable version of Henry Ashmead's local classic History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania (1884)

George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html

The largest collection of original George Washington documents, this site offers full-text searchable versions, including both images of the original materials and (in most cases) annotated transcriptions

Ten Crucial Days: The Crossing of the Delaware and the Battles of Trenton and Princeton http://revolutionarynj.org/story/ten-crucial-days/

A site launched to commemorate the reenactment of Washington's Crossing of the Delaware and the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, it also boasts a comprehensive history of these actions, as well as related links and information about reenactments.

University of Virginia, "The Papers of George Washington" http://www.virginia.edu/gwpapers/

The site includes selected documents and scholarly articles about Washington's life and career. There is an especially insightful essay by historian Benjamin Newcomb on the decision to encamp at Valley Forge

Ushistory.org, The Philadelphia Campaign, 1777: From Rebels to Mature Army http://www.ushistory.org/march/index.html

A privately managed site, this virtual guide offers one of the best web-based overviews of the Philadelphia Campaign. Written in an engaging style, the format also includes useful sidebars, driving directions and selected primary sources

Valley Forge National Historical Park http://www.nps.gov/vafo/index.htm

A well designed site that caters to tourists and genealogists, this web-based resource contains an interactive guide map, lists of activities and events, a muster roll database, and useful background essays

War Times Journal, The Battle of the Brandywine http://wtj.com/articles/brandywine/

One of the finest brief overviews of the engagement written for the online magazine, War Times Journal by an assistant editor at the Papers of George Washington project at the University of Virginia

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