1777. J HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. 313 



out l)y himself in 182;'), was on the \\\^h ground a little northwest 

 of the new frame puhlic school-house. It occurred while Wash- 

 inn-toii, in person, and the worthy young Frenchmen were endea- 

 voring to rally some of the retreating regiments. Some hard 

 fighting took place at this point. 



For two days after the hattle of Brandywine, the chief part of 

 the British army lay encamped about Dilworth's town. During 

 this time Gen. Ilowe had his headquarters at the house now owned 

 and occupied by George Gilpin. It was probably occupied by 

 a person of the same name at that time. 



On the day after the battle, a detachment of the British army, 

 under Gen. Grant, marched to Concord meeting-house, where 

 Lord Cornwallis, with the balance of the army, joined him on 

 the 18th. From this point the main body of the army moved to 

 Village Green and encamped, leaving a detachment at Concord 

 to guard the wounded left at the meeting-house. Another de- 

 tachment was sent to AVilmington, to which place some of the 

 wounded were also removed. 



The encampment at Village Green was the largest ever estab- 

 lished within the limits of Delaware County, extending from 

 Mount Hope to the lower part of what is now Village Green, 

 where Gen. Howe had his headquarters in the old brick house 

 still standing. There is evidence that the British were in pos- 

 session of the town of Chester, four miles from this encampment, 

 on the 13th of the month.' The depredations committed on the 

 property of the people within the bounds of this County, by the 

 British army under Gen. Howe, between the time of the battle 

 of Brandywine and his evacuation of Philadelphia, were enor- 

 mousi Many families were stripped of every article they pos- 

 sessed, and left in a state of perfect destitution.- It is but 

 fair to infer that many of these enormities were committed 

 against the wishes of the commanding General, as the tories 

 were frequently great suiferers, though the whig families suflfered 

 the most. The British army had not before occupied a district 

 of country so rich as this in agricultural products, nor one in 

 which each farm-house was so well stored with everything that 

 could minister to the real comforts of life. An abundant field 

 was presented from which these reckless freebooters did not fail 

 to gather a rich harvest, leaving little to glean, when time and op- 

 portunity was afterwards affordcMl them to finish their wicked work. 

 The plundering was by no means confined to articles that would 

 be useful to the army ; every article of female apparel was taken 

 from some houses, and the furniture carried away or destroyed. 



1 Pcnna. Archives, v. 616. 



2 For an official statement of the losses sustained by each person, made in pur- 

 suance of an Act of Assembly, see Appendix, Note J. 



