Lafayette and Brandywine featured in author Bruce E. Mowday’s upcoming talks

August 1st, 2022

August 1, 2022

Lafayette at Brandywine: The Making of an American Hero

featured in talks and presentations in coming weeks

Author Bruce E. Mowday focuses on Brandywine’s contribution to freedom

           WEST CHESTER _ The American Revolution’s battle of Brandywine played a vital role, and overlooked by historians for centuries, in winning the war against England. Author Bruce E. Mowday’s upcoming talks will highlight the Marquis Lafayette’s important contribution to winning American’s freedom and the part played by Brandywine.

“When I began researching Lafayette role in America’s fight for independence, and specifically the importance of Lafayette’s shedding his blood at Brandywine on September 11, 1777, the link was obvious,” Mowday said. “We would have not defeated the British without France’s assistance. Without Lafayette’s dedication to our cause, France might never have been our staunch ally. Until Lafayette volunteered to stem an American rout at Brandywine and suffered a wound, Lafayette was just another unknown European officer on General George Washington’s staff. Lafayette’s actions that day proved his dedication to our cause and began his rise to the status of an American hero.

“During my research, an official of the national American Friends of Lafayette organization told me his organization always knew Lafayette was the main story of Brandywine. He wondered why the people at Brandywine didn’t recognize the significance of Lafayette and the battle of Brandywine.”

After years of research and consultation with Lafayette historians, Mowday’s book, Lafayette at Brandywine: The Making of an American Hero, was released in late 2021 by Barricade Publishing of New York.

“During my talks and presentations in the past months, I’ve found that many people know the name Lafayette, but few know what he did to secure our freedom,” Mowday said.  “People are amazed that a 19 year old would leave his country and family, defy his king and spend a good part of his fortune in a land where he had never visited and didn’t fluently speak the language.”

Mowday has two talks on Lafayette scheduled this month. The first is a private organization outside of Coatesville and the second is on August 14 in Delaware Water Gap at the Sycamore Grille, at 5:00 p.m. For more information on Mowday and his talks, email him at mowday@mowday.com and see his website at www.mowday.com.

“September is a busy month as the 245th anniversary of the battle of Brandywine is celebrated,” Mowday said. “On September 10 and part of September 11, I’ll be at Chadds Ford Days, organized by the Chadds Ford Historical Society. I’ll give a talk on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. On Sunday, September 11 at the Hale Byrne House in Delaware at 3:00 p.m. I’ll again speak on Lafayette. A major event is taking place on September 24 and September 25 at Sandy Hallow, part of the Brandywine battlefield, in Birmingham Township.  I’m scheduled to give a talk at the beginning of this two-day event, which is expected to have about 1,000 re-enactors and thousands of spectators.”

Mowday will be signing his Lafayette book and other works at two community events in Lititz. On August 13, he participating in the Lititz Rotary Craft Show and on September 3 he will attend the Celebration of American event.

Mowday has two presentations scheduled on his true crime book Stealing Wyeth. On August 30 he will talk at the Broomall Rotary in Newtown Square at 6:15 p.m. and on September 8 at 7:00 p.m. he’ll talk at the New London Historical Society.

A Civil War presentation will be given in Havre de Grace, MD, on August 5. Mowday has written four books on the Civil War, three of them on Gettysburg.