Resources for Educators
On this page we've assembled resources about the history of the Hale-Byrnes House and area around it as well as links to Revolutionary War information.
The History of White Clay Creek
White Clay Creek gets its name from the white clay deposits that were found in its valley, which were used by the native Lenape people and later mined by settlers. The Lenape named the creek for these deposits, and Swedish settlers later translated the name to "Hwitlerskil," which the English then translated to its current name, "White Clay Creek". (Source: Wikipedia)
John Thomas Scharf (May 1, 1843 – February 28, 1898) was an American historian, who is best known for his published historical works. In 1888 he published a multi-volume work entitled, "History of Delaware: 1609-1888", which includes "Scharf's History of White Clay Creek Hundred". Scharf's history provides a detailed account of the region, covering topics related to the White Clay Creek area, such as its geological formations, early settlements and cultural heritages, geology, the once thriving china clay industry, and the establishment of the White Clay Creek Preserve through the efforts of local citizens and the DuPont company. His work is considered a significant source for local history. For more information, please click on the link below.
A Brief History of Land Grants in the Millcreek Hundred
The White Clay Creek is part of the Millcreek Hundred and was a popular place to settle in the 17th Century because if offered Water power for milling, nearby access to shipping ports, and a gateway from interior Pennsylvania. Click on the link below to find out more about land grants in the Mill Creek Hundred.
The History of the Daniel Byrnes Family
The Byrne's Family History was compiled by Anne Byrnes Allman whose 4th Great Grandfather is Daniel Byrnes of the Hale-Byrnes House. In this 30 page document she provides a wealth of information not only about her family but also about the Hale-Byrnes House and the famous Council of War.
A Brief Biography of Daniel Byrnes
in 2011, Kim Burdick, Resident Manager of the Hale-Byrnes House published a 58 page biography of Daniel Byrnes entitled, "I remain you friend, Daniel Byrnes". In her book she notes that in 1772:
Within months, Daniel purchased 4 ½ acres for a mill and mill seat from David Finney of New Castle. Located about a mile downstream from Brother Caleb’s mill, Daniel’s place was on the main road connecting Philadelphia to Baltimore, passing through Wilmington, Newport, Stanton and Christiana, while the T-intersection in front of the house led travelers west to Ogletown, Newark, and Elkton, Maryland. Behind Daniel’s house, the Red and White Clay Creeks flowed together into the Christina River. A busy wharf, known as White Clay Creek Landing, stretched for more than one hundred feet along the bank of the stream. Daniel worked on his mill race and also added a service wing to the house at Muscle Cripple.26
Kim Roger Burdick
For more detail on the life of Daniel Byrnes, click on the link below:
John Churchman Visits the Hale-Byrnes House
John Churchman was a traveling Quaker minister who lived in Nottingham, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He was born to John and Hannah Churchman on August 15th, 1705. In 1729/30, he married Margaret Brown, daughter of William and Esther Brown; the couple had a son named George. A minister of 42 years (since 1733), Churchman died on July 24 1775 near 70 years of age and was buried in East Nottingham. The link below will take you to a brief excerpt form the book, "An account of the Gospel labours, and Christian experiences of a faithful minister of Christ, John Churchman, late of Nottingham in Pennsylvania, deceased."
An Anti-Slavery Broadside
Daniel Byrnes was a prominent abolitionist within the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, one of the first communities to completely abolish slavery within its organization. In 1775, approximately 20% of British North America's population was enslaved, with the majority in the southern colonies. Byrnes published a document in 1775 that essentially called out the inconsistency of American colonists who were demanding "freedom" and "justice" for themselves from British rule, while simultaneously enslaving people of African origin. The address was intended for publication on July 20, 1775, a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer proclaimed by John Hancock, President of the Second Continental Congress, but was released to the public several weeks after the intended publication date. The broadside was a powerful and early example of an internal American voice challenging the moral contradictions of the Revolutionary era. Please click on the link below to see the full document.
A Quaker Struggles with the War
During the Revolutionary War, the majority of Quakers remained officially neutral due to their fundamental pacifist beliefs, but the conflict created deep rifts within the community, leading to a variety of individual responses, including a minority who actively supported the war effort. On the morning of September 6th, 1777 Daniel Byrnes, a staunch Quaker, was informed by Washington’s staff that a Council of War would be held at his house that evening. This news must have come as quite a shock to Byrnes. As Hale-Byrnes House Resident Manager Kim Burdick writes in her article, "A Quaker Struggles With the War" published in 2015 in the Journal of the American Revolution:
In January, 1775, the Meeting for Sufferings met long hours, day after day, resolving that Monthly Meetings must discipline Friends who participated in the Continental Association or any other group fostered by the Continental Congress. If members disregarded the admonitions, they were to be disowned. When this was read in Friends meetings across the colonies, the epistle “aroused great displeasure on the part of the friends of freedom and liberty.” Through disownment, Friends expressed their concern over the reputation of their religion and its testimonies....By 1776, in direct opposition to the tenets of their faith, the children of Daniel’s friends and colleagues were going off to war. As Clerk of Wilmington Friends Meeting it was Daniel’s job to reason with the offenders, dropping them from the rolls when necessary.
Kim Burdick, A Quaker Struggles with the War
To read the complete article, please click on the link below:
The Battle of Cooch's Bridge
The Battle of Cooch's Bridge was named after Thomas Cooch, a local landowner whose property and house were located near the bridge and the battle site. The battle itself took place in 1777, and the original bridge was named after him because his home was close to it. One of his descendant's, Richard Cooch is still alive today and is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
The Battle of Cooch’s Bridge, also known as the Battle of Iron Hill, was the only Revolutionary War battle fought in the state of Delaware. A British army, led by General Sir William Howe, landed in Maryland intent on capturing Philadelphia. Their route of march took them through Delaware. General George Washington dispatched the newly-created Corps of Light Infantry, led by General William Maxwell, to contest the British advance outside Wilmington. General Maxwell, whose unit had been formed just a few days earlier, positioned his men along the main road to Wilmington where it crossed Christina Creek. On September 3, 1777, a company of the American light infantry met a group of dragoons led by Captain Johann Ewald, who summoned reinforcements. The Americans conducted a fighting retreat against German jaegers (light infantry) onto Iron Hill, where they were attacked by German and British troops. The fighting lasted for several hours, but eventually the Americans, running low on ammunition, were forced to retreat over Cooch’s Bridge across the creek and fall back towards the main body of the Continental Army. Eight days later, the two armies collided in the Battle of Brandywine.
American Battlefield Trust
The Friends of Cooch's Bridge Historic Site
The original home of Thomas Cooch, known as the Cooch House, still stands today and is part of the Cooch's Bridge Historic Site which is preserved by the Friends of the Cooch's Bridge Historic Site.
The Cooch's Bridge Historic Site, owned and operated by the Delaware Division of Historic and Cultural Affairs (HCA), the Historic Site embodies nearly every facet of Delaware’s diverse past and is the location of the state’s only Revolutionary War battle.
The Friends of Cooch’s Bridge Historic Site
The Council of War, September 6, 1777
Pictured at the left is the painting “Prelude to Brandywine” by Virginia artist Bryant White which depicts the Council of War held at the Hale-Byrnes House on September 6, 1777, 3 days after the Battle of Cooch's Bridge. The council addressed the strategic situation in the face of Howe's advance and the defense of Philadelphia. Washington and his generals decided to stay in the area and prepare for a major confrontation, which materialized 5 days later at Brandywine Creek know as the Battle of the Brandywine.
See our page entitled Historical Figures for a list of the famous Revolutionary War Generals and others who attend this Council of War.
The Battle of the Brandywine, September 11, 1777
On September 11, 1777, General George Washington was determined to prevent the British from capturing the American seat of government, Philadelphia. Taking up positions along Brandywine Creek, Washington mistakenly believed that his army blocked all fords across the Brandywine. Opposing Washington was Sir William Howe and an army of 15,500 British Regulars and Hessian troops. Hidden by heavy fog, the British moved into position. General Wilhelm von Kynphausen was ordered to demonstrate against the Americans’ front at Chadds Ford, while the bulk of Howe’s forces crossed the Brandywine further upstream. The battle had been raging for hours by the time Howe's force appeared undetected on the Continental right flank. Washington dispatched troops under General John Sullivan and William Alexander, “Lord Stirling,” to shore up his right flank. However, despite putting up a stiff resistance, the Continentals were eventually overrun by Howe’s men. Simultaneously, Knyphausen’s troops hit the American units that remained near the Quaker meeting house at Chadds Ford. Washington’s line collapsed. To prevent the defeat turning into disaster Washington ordered Nathanael Greene's division to act as a rear-guard so that the Continental Army could escape to the northeast. Greene’s brave men counterattacked, going toe-to-toe with British along the crest of Birmingham Hill. When night fell, the remaining Americans fell back in an orderly retreat, led in part by the Marquis de Lafayette.. Although wounded, the charismatic young Frenchman remained on the field to ensure an organized withdrawal.The crushing defeat allowed the British to occupy Philadelphia, but the bulk of the Continental army survived to fight another day.
American Battlefield Trust
Daniel Byrnes 1788 Letter to Benjamin Franklin
On June 15, 1788, Daniel Byrnes wrote a letter to Benjamin Franklin about a proposed method for calculating longitude by lunar observations. The letter is held in the archives of the American Philosophical Society, to which both men had connections. The correspondence between Byrnes and Franklin during the summer of 1788 touched on scientific and practical matters, typical of the era's intellectual exchanges.
Daniel Byrnes 1793 Letter to President George Washington
In 1793 at the beginning of George Washington's 2nd term as President, Daniel Byrnes wrote the following letter to George Washington in which he seems to suggest that he never received the compensation he was promised by the Clement Biddle of the Continental Army. We don't know if Byrnes ever received his promised compensation
(Letter written to GW 1 month 17th 1793 from Daniel Byrnes, GW Papers, UVA) “”…in the year 1777 I was owner of and Lived at them Mills in the State of Dallaware on the side of White Clay Creek abought two Miles north of Christiana Bridge at the time the English Army Lay between my Mills and the head of Elk and the American Army Some of them on the Hill by White Clay Creek Bridge in Sight of my House & Mills and Some of them nearer to Newport. Thus was I with my Famely Situated between the two Contending Armies and on the 7th Day of the week Clement Biddle, an officer as I Supose in thy Army Came to my House and informed me that General Woshington had Sent him to let me know that the wheat & Flour in my Mills must be Removed and told me that thou Said the English Army wod be quite likely to Come that way and wod Distroy what I had but that thou wod take it and I Should be paid for it. I Did then belive thou intended it as a favour to me as I was not Looked on as an Enemy to my Countery and therefore I could Do no other thing but Submit to thy orders accordingly he Sent that Day twenty Wagons and Loaded with Wheat and Flour and next Day being first Day of the week came twenty more Wagons and Loaded (while I was at Meeting) with wheat and flour the also that Day took Eight Large Cheese away which was put in the Mill to be out of the way of the Flies they Laft with Some of my young men Recipts for the Wheat & Flour but not for the Cheese they ware to come again the Next Day being the Second Day of the week for more wheat & Flour as there was Some Still Lafft but that Day the English Army Crossed white Clay Creek 2 0r 3 miles above my Mills and thy Army moved away. I saw Clement Biddle that Day on Horseback he told me he wod pay me but the Army was moving and all Seemed in a hurry. I Supose he had not time and want away without paying after that time there was Much Difucalties with the Army I knew not whare to apply for pay….”iii
Daniel Byrnes Will
The Last Will and Testament of Daniel Byrnes, Jr., details the distribution of his estate and appointing of executors. The will specified that Daniel's lands in Delaware were to be shared equally between his sons Caleb and Joshua as tenants in common. To see the complete text of Daniel Byrnes's will, please click on the link below:
DSPA History of the Hale-Byrnes House
In 2015, the Delaware Society for the Preservation of Antiquities (DSPA) transcribed the Agnes P. Nolan scrapbook along with the George M. Whiteside File, and the Barbara Y. McEwing file to create a 41 page history of the Hale-Byrnes House. Please click on the link below to view the entire document.
The Washington-Rochambeau Trail
The Hale-Byrnes House is one of the historic places on the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail. The Trail is a 680-mile series of land and water routes that commemorates the path of the allied American and French armies from Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. This critical military maneuver, culminating in the British surrender at the Siege of Yorktown, was a pivotal point in the American Revolutionary War. The trail follows the routes taken by General George Washington's Continental Army and the French forces under General Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau. The armies, consisting of thousands of soldiers, marched through nine states and the District of Columbia: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C.. The purpose of the trail is to preserve and interpret the history of this march and the crucial French-American alliance that led to American independence. The route itself is not a single, continuous hiking trail in many places but rather a "corridor" of historic roads, encampment sites, and landmarks that can be explored in various ways, including driving tours, walking, and biking. Please click on the link below to read more about the Trail. The National Park Service manages the trail in partnership with the non-profit National Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association (W3R-US), which helps with research, placing signs, and organizing events. The trail is marked with distinctive signs bearing the W3R acronym, which stands for Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.
National Register Nomination Form
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Nation's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic value." The enactment of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in 1966 established the National Register and the process for adding properties to it. National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources. Of the more than one and a half million properties on the National Register, 95,000 are listed individually. The remainder are contributing resources within historic districts.
Other Resources
The Delaware Continentals
During the American Revolutionary War, the Delaware Continentals were highly regarded for their combat effectiveness, discipline, and appearance, with many contemporaries viewing them as one of the finest fighting units in the Continental Army. Colonel Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, a highly regarded officer, noted that although Delaware provided only one regiment, "certainly no regiment in the army surpassed it in soldiership". The 1st Delaware Regiment was often described as the best-dressed and best-equipped unit in the Continental Army, known for their blue jackets with red facings and white breeches. Their actions at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776 were considered critical, helping to prevent the capture of the majority of Washington's army.
This landmark study in the military history of the American Revolution was written by Christopher Ward and published in 1941. The work is an exhaustive study of the organization of this regiment and its action throughout the war, especially at Long Island, Brooklyn, Trenton, Princeton, and the middle Atlantic states and its later service at Camden, King's Mountain, Guilford Court House, and Yorktown.
Written by the Hale-Byrne's House Resident Manager Kim Rogers Burdick, Revolutionary Delaware highlights the strategic importance of Delaware, more specifically the Delaware River and the contributions of Delawareans to the ultimate victory of the colonies over Great Britain. Revolutionary Delaware takes the reader from the Stamp Act of 1764, through the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The reader is introduced to influential Delawareans like Thomas McKean, George Read, and Caesar Rodney, while being reintroduced to one of the most underrated of the founders, John Dickinson.
This catalogue was produced in conjunction with the exhibition, Delaware in the American Revolution, on display from October 12, 2002, to May 3, 2003, at Anderson House, Headquarters, Library and Museum of the Society of the Cincinnati, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D. C. 20008.
Not only is David Price's book a great biography of Delaware's patriot John Haslet, it is also an excellent history of Delaware during the revolution as well as the 1st Delaware regiment, arguably the most reliable and efficient in the Continental Army.
The British Occupation of Wilmington
HBH Board Member, author, and Historian Bill Knightly's book recounts the British occupation of Wilmington immediately after the Battle of the Brandywine in September, 1777
Video: Thunder on the Delaware: The Battle of Wilmington
HBH Board Member, author, and Historian Bill Knightly recounts the little know naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the Pennsylvania State Navy on the Delaware River off Wilmington in May, 1777.
Bill Knightly reviews Ken Burns’ documentary “The American Revolution”
HBH Board Member, author, and Historian Bill Knightly reviews Ken Burns’ documentary, The American Revolution. As a historian with special expertise in the Revolution, Bill offers fascinating insights into a film he calls a “historical gem.”
The American Revolution: A Film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein & David Schmidt
Thirteen American colonies unite in rebellion, win an eight-year war to secure their independence, and establish a new form of government that would inspire democratic movements at home and around the globe. What begins as a political clash between colonists and the British government grows into a bloody struggle that will engage more than two dozen nations.
Arcadia Publishing's Companion Reading for Ken Burns' The American Revolution
Celebrate 250 Years of American History with Arcadia Publishing. Discover the Stories That Built a Nation. Join us as we commemorate America’s 250th anniversary with books, stories, and an immersive timeline of the people and events that defined the Revolutionary era.
Arcadia Publishing
Winner of the American Revolution Round Table of Richmond Book Award. Harris's Brandywine is the first complete study to merge the strategic, political, and tactical history of this complex operation and important set-piece battle into a single compelling account. More than a decade in the making, his sweeping prose relies almost exclusively upon original archival research and his personal knowledge of the terrain. Enhanced with original maps, illustrations, and modern photos, and told largely through the words of those who fought there, Brandywine will take its place as one of the most important military studies of the American Revolution ever written.
Amazon
Michael C. Harris is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and the American Military University. He has worked for the National Park Service in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Fort Mott State Park in New Jersey, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission at Brandywine Battlefield. He has conducted tours and staff rides of many east coast battlefields. Michael is certified in secondary education and currently teaches in the Philadelphia region. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Michelle and son Nathanael.
Amazon
The weeks of bloody maneuvering and fighting along the Delaware River at Fort Mercer, Fort Mifflin, and Gloucester receive but scant attention in the literature of the American Revolution. The same is true for the five-day Whitemarsh operation and other important events in December 1777. Award-winning author Michael C. Harris’s impressive "Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5–December 19, 1777" rescues these important actions from obscurity, puts them in context with the Saratoga Campaign, and closes his magnificent trilogy that began with the battle of Brandywine and left off with the slugfest at Germantown.
Amazon
The first volume in Pulitzer Prize Winner Rick Atkinson's Revolutionary War trilogy, "The British are Coming" covers the period from the battles at Lexington and Concord in spring 1775 to those at Trenton and Princeton in winter 1777.
Rick Atkinson's 2nd book in his Revolutionary War Trilogy, "The Fate of the Day", covers the period of the American Revolution from 1777 to 1780, focusing on key events like the battle of Brandywine in 1777 in which the Hale-Byrnes House plays a huge part..
Please click on the link below to watch a video of Rick Atkinson's presentation to members of the Museum of American Revolution about his 2nd book in his Revolution Trilogy: "The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780."
“This is great history . . . compulsively readable . . . There is no better writer of narrative history than the Pulitzer Prize–winning Atkinson.”
The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
The history and ideals of the American Revolution are the foundation of our national identity. The American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati, Inc., is a center for education dedicated to promoting understanding and appreciation of the American Revolution and its legacy.
In a world of increasing historical illiteracy and apathy, Journal of the American Revolution (JAR) publishes passionate, creative, and fresh content intended to make history more accessible while upholding the rigors of sound research
The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government.
History Speaks: American Journeys
Bill Jeffway is the founder/principal of History Speaks, an independent and flexible partnership which works to identify and creatively share insights related to local history. Bill focuses significantly on Lafayette as a civil rights champion. He has gone great lengths to educate the public regarding Lafayette's views as an abolitionist and his latest effort is a short video (12 minutes) that he produced. The video, along with the accompanying teaching guide developed for 4th, 7th, and 11th grades, helps students see the journey of an early 19th century free Black couple on two levels. The first involves their walking to see the Revolutionary War French hero, Major General Lafayette, during his 1824 visit to Poughkeepsie.
The second journey considered is a larger journey to freedom and equality over generations. This is the journey that involved the abolition of slavery through the tireless efforts of national and local leaders, and everyday people like the couple portrayed here.
American Journeys: Inspired by Lafayette - Educators Guide
American Journeys: Inspired by Lafayette - Video
The National Council for History Education is a nonprofit professional organization that elevates the importance
of history teaching and learning through professional learning, community building, and advocacy.
The Delaware Historical Society is a non-profit organization that preserves, promotes, and shares Delaware’s history in a welcoming environment to educate, inspire, and empower people and communities.
Mount Vernon is dedicated to teaching people around the world about the life and legacies of George Washington. Our educational resources are designed to support further exploration into Washington’s world both in and out of the classroom.