The Ford Nobody Told Him About

Washington had his maps wrong. His scouts told him there was no ford to the north that Howe could use to cross the Brandywine. A local farmer named Thomas Cheney rode into Washington's headquarters during the battle, shouting that he could see British troops crossing to the north. Washington's aides didn't believe him — the maps said no ford. By the time Washington accepted the intelligence and began repositioning, Cornwallis's 8,000 men were already across and moving south. Cheney was right. The ford existed. It was on no American map. Washington lost the battle because he didn't know the ground well enough. He would spend the rest of the war learning from that mistake.