Fold3 Blog

On September 11, 1777, American troops clashed with the British in the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania, resulting in an American defeat that allowed the British to easily capture Philadelphia later that month.

In early September, with British general William Howe’s troops advancing toward Philadelphia, George Washington deployed his army along the east side of Brandywine creek, about 25 miles from Philadelphia, and took up a defensive position to meet the British. Washington was expecting the British to launch a frontal attack, and at first, that’s what appeared to be happening, as British troops congregated on the other side of the creek opposite Washington’s center.

However, Washington received intelligence that a large force of the British army was heading north to cross the creek higher up and outflank the Americans. So Washington sent out orders to reposition his troops to meet the threat. But before the orders could be fully carried out, Washington received conflicting news that there were no British to the north, and he rescinded his orders.

But it turned out that the original intelligence was correct, and there really was a large force of British about to outflank the Americans. Washington hastily repositioned the right wing of his army to meet the British flanking maneuver, but the Americans couldn’t withstand the British attack. Washington tried to reinforce his right with troops from the center, but it was too late. At about the same time, the British at the Americans’ center also attacked and likewise overpowered the Americans there, and the American army was forced to retreat.

During the battle, the Americans suffered an estimated 1,300 casualties, with approximately 300 killed, while the British sustained 583 losses, with 89 killed. The Americans’ loss enabled the British to take Philadelphia without a fight later that month, and the Continental Congress, which met in that city, was forced to move to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for the time being. Despite their defeat, the American troops remained in relatively good spirits, seeing their loss as only a temporary setback. However, Washington’s failure caused some Patriot leaders to question his skills as a commander.

Did you have ancestors who fought in the Battle of Brandywine? Tell us about them! Or search Fold3 for additional information about the battle.

Do you have family members who served with the British Army during World War I? Look for their units in Fold3’s UK WWI Diaries to discover what they experienced during the war!

The UK WWI War Diaries are unit diaries (not personal diaries) via the National Archives of the UK that document operations and movements for British and colonial units serving between 1914 and 1920 in France, Belgium, and Germany, as well as in the Gallipoli/Dardanelles Campaign (in what is now Turkey but was then the Ottoman Empire). On Fold3, these diaries are separated into two titles: UK, WWI War Diaries (France, Belgium, And Germany) and UK, WWI War Diaries (Gallipoli-Dardanelles).

As required, all units on active duty kept a daily record of events. They were written by a junior officer, then approved by a commanding officer. Some diaries contain more information or are more descriptive or detailed than others, though most if not all record at least the date and location. While some diaries contain daily reports, intelligence summaries, tactics, and general observations, others merely record things like losses (casualties, fatalities, etc.) and map references. Likewise, the format in which the information was recorded can vary widely from diary to diary, as can the types of supplementary documents included.

Though individuals may be mentioned by name, the purpose of these diaries was to record information about the movements and actions of the unit as a whole, not to focus on particular people. Still, the war diaries can be helpful in fleshing out your understanding of what your family member experienced, as you can learn where your family member’s unit was on a given day and what activities the unit was involved in.

On Fold3, these diaries are organized by regiment, division, then sub unit. Some diaries may be somewhat challenging to read as they might be handwritten or may be carbon copies of the original records. This may require you to browse through the documents rather than relying solely on search results for the information you’re looking for. 

Do you have family members who served with the British Army during WWI? Tell us about them! Or get started looking for the units your British WWI ancestors belonged to in Fold3’s UK, WWI War Diaries (France, Belgium, And Germany) and UK, WWI War Diaries (Gallipoli-Dardanelles).

On August 12, 1898, representatives for the United States and Spain signed a peace protocol in Washington DC, ending the three-month-long Spanish-American War in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. The American victory against the Spanish would result in the collapse of what remained of Spain’s colonial empire and would herald America’s entrance as a major player on the world stage.

The war had formally begun on April 25, 1898, when the United States declared war against Spain. Though the catalyst for America’s declaration of war was the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor (which at the time was blamed on Spain), American public opinion had been turning against Spain for some time, due to atrocities committed against Cubans in their fight for independence. After the sinking of the Maine, the U.S. joined the Cubans in their fight against Spain.

Cuba would prove to be the main stage of the war, though American troops were also sent to the Spanish possessions of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. The short war included two main actions in Cuba against the exhausted, ill, and demoralized Spanish army: the Battle of San Juan Hill (with Theodore Roosevelt’s famed Rough Riders) and the sea battle and subsequent land siege at Santiago de Cuba.

Following the American siege on Santiago, the Spanish commander for that city surrendered on July 17, 1898, after being convinced that his situation was hopeless. This surrender essentially signaled the end of the war, though token fighting would occur in Puerto Rico and the Philippines after that date. The peace protocol between Spain and America was finally signed a month later on August 12, with the actual peace treaty not being signed until that December. In all, about 350 Americans died in battle during the war, with far more dying from disease.

American involvement with the former Spanish colonies was far from over at the cessation of hostilities with Spain, however. The U.S. army occupied Cuba until 1902, when the island obtained independence, though it would remain under U.S. supervision until 1934. Puerto Rico and Guam became (and still remain) U.S. territories, and the Philippines soon began a long fight for independence from the U.S. that would last until 1946.

Did you have ancestors who fought in the Spanish-American War? Tell us about them! Or you can look for these ancestors in Fold3’s Spanish-American War collection.

In the early morning of July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, on its way from Guam to the Philippines, was struck by two torpedoes fired by a Japanese submarine and quickly sank, resulting in the largest loss of life at sea in U.S. Navy history.

On July 16, the Indianapolis, a cruiser, left San Francisco headed for the island of Tinian in the Marianas. On board was a secret cargo that included parts to be used in the atomic bombs that would be dropped on Japan. Having received repairs in San Francisco for damage done by a kamikaze attack, the Indianapolis made record time to Tinian, then headed for the Philippines by way of Guam.

Forced to sail without an escort—and uninformed that there was a likelihood of Japanese subs in the area—the Indianapolis generally maintained the mandated zigzagging course, except on the night of the 29–30, when visibility was poor.

Just after midnight, in the early morning of the 30th, 300 miles from the closest land, the Indianapolis was hit by two torpedoes from a Japanese sub. After the extent of the damage to the ship became clear, the commander, Charles McVay III, gave the orders to send out distress signals and abandon ship.

The ship sank fast, going under in 12 minutes. The speed at which it sank meant that about 300 men of the crew of nearly 1,200 went down with the ship; the remaining roughly 900 made it into the water. Although about half of the men had life jackets and 12 of the ship’s 35 life rafts (as well as some floater nets) were deployed, many men drowned or died of injuries, dehydration, or exposure while they were in the water. Others were killed in attacks by the sharks that swarmed the area.

The men were in the water for four days, since the Navy had not found it remarkable that the Indianapolis had not arrived to the Philippines on time and did not know to look for them. Finally, on the afternoon of August 2, the men were noticed by chance by an American patrol plane that observed first the oil slick, then the men in the water. Once the men of the Indianapolis were spotted, a rescue effort was launched, but the length of time since the sinking meant that when the last man was pulled from the ocean on August 3, only 317 men had survived.

Did you have family who served on the USS Indianapolis? Share their story with us! Or learn more about the ship by searching or browsing on Fold3.