The opportunity came when the British fleet under Admiral Boscawen at Toulon withdrew to Gibraltar. The British had both ports blockaded, and the French had to wait for one of the blockading fleets to withdraw for re-supply before attempting any rendezvous. The British defeat encouraged the French to stir up rebellion in Scotland, leading directly to the landing of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite rising of "the '45".Īs so often in 18th Century warfare, French plans to invade England during the Seven Years War were reliant on ships from the naval base at Toulon joining ships from Brest. The battle was an extremely bloody one, with eventually the French left holding the field against a massed infantry assault by the British and their allies. In 1745, at Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands, a French army under the redoubtable Marshal de Saxe, clashed with a Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian force. The French, naturally, opposed the Austrian Hapsburgs. The war quickly became a European affair as old enmities surfaced once again. Frederick II of Prussia, however, used the dispute to invade Silesia in 1740 to enhance Prussian power and prestige. Despite this, Maria Theresa succeeded to most of her father's possessions, and there was an understanding among many German princes that her husband could be elected Emperor. The War of the Austrian Succession had its roots in the ancient Salic law that said no woman could inherit the Holy Roman Empire. However, more detailed surveillance of the terrain would suggest that alternative routes could turn the battle in the favour of the British. Knowing that much of fast-flowing creek could not be crossed, Washington was confident of holding his position. The Creek flows through the countryside of Pennsylvania, enveloped by sheer cliffs and heavily wooded hills on both sides. In preparation, American General George Washington readied most of his units to defend from this frontal assault around the narrow crossing of Chad's Ford on the Brandywine.
After landing from his transport ships on the American coast, Major-General Sir William Howe led the British troops eastwards, with the intention of capturing Philadelphia.
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