Teacher Resources
Wilmington
Inquiry Question
What is "intelligence failure" and how does it affect military decisions?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Revolutionary War Pension Applications: Delaware Veterans
PRIMARY · National Archives, Record Group 15
5 analysis prompts
General Howe's Orders and Correspondence: Chesapeake Bay Campaign, August-October 1777
PRIMARY · British Headquarters Papers, Clements Library, University of Michigan
5 analysis prompts
Orderly Books of the Continental Army: Delaware Campaign, September 1777
PRIMARY · Library of Congress, George Washington Papers
5 analysis prompts
Brandywine Battlefield Park: Historical Overview
INSTITUTIONAL · Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
5 analysis prompts
History of Delaware Through its Governors, 1776-1888
SECONDARY · University of Delaware Press (John A. Munroe)
5 analysis prompts
Downloads
Ready to Print
Student packet, teacher guide with answer key, and quiz — each formatted for classroom printing.
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Lesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Explain why Washington chose to defend the Brandywine crossing and what he was protecting
- 2Trace the British flanking movement and explain why American intelligence failed to detect it
- 3Analyze the battle's immediate consequences for Wilmington and Philadelphia
- 4Evaluate the role of local knowledge (the Quaker guides) in the battle's outcome
Explore Further
Wilmington in the Knowledge Graph
The lesson packet draws from these pages. Use them to extend the lesson or give students primary source context.
Comparative Study
Connected Towns
The corroborate prompts in the student packet point to these towns. Teachers can assign cross-town comparisons.
Philadelphia
SHARED EVENT
The Brandywine Campaign was fought to defend Philadelphia. Wilmington fell before Philadelphia did; both were occupied by the British from September 1777 through June 1778, their fates inseparable during the campaign.
Valley Forge
SHARED EVENT
Washington's army retreated from Brandywine toward Valley Forge. The loss of Wilmington's Brandywine mills contributed directly to the supply crisis Valley Forge became famous for.
Dover
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Delaware's two main communities.
Assessment
Wilmington in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history. · 5 questions · Answer key in Teacher Guide PDF
What makes Wilmington significant in Revolutionary history?
multiple choice
Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.
true false
Name one event that occurred in Wilmington during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more in the full quiz PDF
Ready to Print?
All three documents below — student packet, teacher guide, and quiz — are formatted for letter-size classroom printing.