When Neutrality Failed

The Quaker community of the Brandywine Valley believed in neutrality. What the Revolution taught them was that neutrality, in a civil war, is itself a choice, and both sides will hold you accountable for it.

Some Friends provided directions to British scouts before Brandywine, helping Cornwallis find the unguarded fords — whether from Loyalist conviction or simply from the Quaker practice of not refusing a civil request is unclear. Other Friends quietly supported the Patriot cause and were disowned by their monthly meetings for giving "aid and comfort" to combatants. The meetings couldn't distinguish supporting a just cause from participating in violence.

Once both sides started holding Quakers accountable, neutrality became impossible. Wilmington after the Revolution had a different Quaker community than it had before. Families had split. Meetings had expelled members. The physical town was intact. The social fabric was not.