Around 11 a.m. on September 11, 1777, British Generals Howe and Cornwallis crossed the Brandywine River at Jefferis Ford with approximately 11,000 Crown forces after marching 10 miles from Kennett Square. This was the second unguarded ford they needed to cross to outflank General Washington's defense of Chadds Ford. From there, they continued up the "Great Defile" of Birmingham Road to Osborne Hill, where they rested near Strode's Mill before launching a mile-wide attack on Washington's troops on Birmingham Hill.
