(Sept. 11, 1777) Battle in the American Revolution .
British Gen. William Howe attempted to remove Pennsylvania from the war by engaging troops under Gen. George Washington on Brandywine Creek, 25 mi (40 km) from the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia. In the end, the British troops occupied the battlefield but failed to destroy Washington's army or cut it off from Philadelphia. This failure contributed to the later British defeat at the Battle of Saratoga .