The General
The General suite carries the echoes of strategy and sacrifice from the American Revolution; its story bound to the Battle of Brandywine fought only miles from Kennett Square. The quiet countryside erupted as more than 30,000 soldiers collided in one of the war’s most ferocious encounters, a struggle of cunning and endurance. This was no ordinary landscape, but a battlefield where the future of a nation hung in the balance.
The year was 1777, and General George Washington stood determined to defend Philadelphia as the beating heart of the young republic. British commander William Howe had fixed his sights on the city, believing that its capture would shatter the rebellion once and for all. After a long voyage by sea and a landing in Maryland, Howe’s army of nearly 15,000 British soldiers and Hessian mercenaries marched north into Pennsylvania. The only natural line of defense between them and the capital was Brandywine Creek, and Washington chose to make his stand at the most direct and obvious crossing point in Chadds Ford.
On September 10, 1777, Kennett Square suddenly found itself on the front lines of the Revolution. That night, all 16,000 British troops under General William Howe camped in and around the town, turning quiet streets and farmlands into a sprawling military encampment. Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen chose the Unicorn Tavern at State and Union Streets for his headquarters, right in the heart of town, and General Charles Cornwallis stretched his camp north along Union Street—from what is now Kennett High School up to Union Hill Cemetery. By that measure, the property where The Francis sits would have sat squarely in the middle of British camp. The occupation came at a heavy cost: fuel and provisions were seized, livestock slaughtered, and property damaged.
At dawn on September 11, 1777, the British marched out of Kennett Square with Knyphausen driving toward Chadds Ford to pin Washington, while Cornwallis swept wide in a daring flank. By afternoon, his column struck near the Birmingham Meetinghouse, shattering the American right after brutal fighting on the heights. Amid the chaos, 19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette, wounded but unbroken, rallied a rear guard that bought Washington precious time to withdraw. The British held the field and soon captured Philadelphia, but the grit and sacrifice at Brandywine ensured the Continental Army lived to fight on.
The General suite honors a pivotal moment in both local and national history. Designed to reflect the strategy and leadership of 1777, the space draws inspiration from the Brandywine landscape, with tones of moss, parchment, and deep navy echoing the colors of the battlefield. Guests are invited to chart their own course in a room that serves as a refuge and a reminder of the enduring courage that shaped the nation.
Today, Kennett remembers this moment in its own way. September 10 has become an unofficial “Occupation Day.” British-themed festivities, like fish and chips, pints of English beer, and historic reenactors, commemorate the night the Redcoats made Kennett their camp on the eve of the Battle of Brandywine.
