On September 11, 1777, George Washington’s forces lost the battle of Brandywine. It was the largest battle of the war, involving over 30,000 troops between both sides, and it was the second-longest single-day battle, lasting 11 hours.
On September 9, 1850, California became America’s 31st state. The discovery of gold there two years earlier created a population boom that led to the need for a state government.
Claire Lee Chennault was born on September 6, 1890, in Commerce, Texas. He formed and led the Flying Tigers during World War II.
On September 5, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt mediated the Treaty of Portsmouth, ending the Russo-Japanese War. It earned him a Nobel Prize and began a long-standing tree-giving tradition between the US and Japan.
On September 4, 1812, the Siege of Fort Harrison began. It would end 11 days later in the first American land victory of the War of 1812.
On August 28, 1862, Union and Confederate forces met a second time at Bull Run (also known as Manassas Junction) in a bloody three-day battle.
On August 22, 1864, twelve nations signed the first Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field. This convention and subsequent treaties and protocols established the legal standard for humanitarian treatment in times of war.
Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend, Ohio, on August 20, 1833. America’s 23rd president, he was also a Civil War veteran and lawyer.
Revolutionary War commander Nathanael Greene was born on August 7, 1742, in Potowomut (Warwick), Rhode Island. One of the Continental Army’s most dependable officers, his leadership was instrumental to the Southern Theater of the American Revolution.