WEST WHITELAND – The county presented its final outcomes from its in-depth study of the Battle of the Clouds on Thursday night. The battle was one of the three to take place in Chester County during the American Revolutionary War.
The study allowed the county to document the known history of the Battle of the Clouds for the first time for the National Park Service, according to Karen Marshall, Heritage Preservation Coordinator. She added that the study of the Battle of the Clouds follows the county’s study of the Battle of Brandywine and the Paoli Massacre.
More than 40 people gathered to listen to the findings from the Battle of the Clouds American Battlefield Protection Program Grant team on Thursday.
The National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program awarded Chester County nearly $60,000 in 2012 to study the Battle of the Clouds and document it as part of a greater comprehensive preservation plan of the region.
Municipalities who helped to work on the Battle of the Clouds study received their technical report, which detailed what happened during the battle on Sept. 16, 1777. Some of the historical commissions also received their historic resource atlas.
According to Sean Moir, project director, the hope is that with the information about the Battle of the Clouds, communities can work to further preserve historically significant land in the region. The study helps also helps to further show the history of Chester County during the American Revolutionary War.
“Historic preservation does not ask that we stop time,” said Marshall. “Instead, it encourages us to ask where we came from.”
During the presentation, Moir showed the audience the animated map created from the study, which details the movements of the British Crown forces and the Continental forces as George Washington, the commanding general at the time, tried to protect Philadelphia.
Moir used modern landmarks, such as the Exton Square Mall and Wegmans, to help give the audience a better understanding of the movement of the troops and locations of the battle back in 1777.
“These are all places we know and love, and they were right outside those doors,” Moir said.
There were 19 municipalities that were involved in the study, Marshall said. Their historical commissions and committees were involved in the historic property research under Marshall’s direction. She said that the municipalities’ findings were then incorporated into the research by the consulting team, which was managed by John Milner Associates and led by Moir.
Marshall added that many state and U.S. congress members supported the study, including U.S. Senator Bob Casey, U.S. Sen. Patrick Toomey, U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach ,state Rep. Warren Kampf, state Rep. Duane Milne and state Sen. Andy Dinniman. Representatives from Gerlach and Milne’s office were at the presentation Thursday.
Follow staff writer on Twitter at @KendalGapinski.