The prevailing attitude that failures are nothing more than opportunities to learn lessons and improve is nothing new.

This became evident recently when the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum in Allentown hosted historian Robert Dunkerly, who presented a slide-lecture and signed his book, “Decision at Brandywine,” for a crowd of approximately 135 museum visitors.

The Heritage Museum, part of the Lehigh County Historical Society, is offering such presentations as part of an ongoing series of esteemed authors and historians who are invited to enlighten and educate visitors about local, state and national history.

Because of our nation’s 250th anniversary this year, many of the speakers are experts on the American Revolution.

Dunkerly, employed by the National Parks Service, has worked at nine historic battlefield sites and is recognized as an authority on Revolutionary War battles.

Attendees learned the pivotal role the 1777 Battle of Brandywine, located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, played in the war.

According to Dunkerly, this battle was the largest and longest single day engagement of the American Revolution.

George Washington’s Continental Army had soldiers who came from many states and Canada, and thus were trained differently.

He knew this was a problem, but he had no time to address it until after the battle, when they retreated to Valley Forge.

Brandywine was the first big battle for many of the new troops, and they were not prepared for the well-organized, larger British Army of General Sir William Howe.

General Washington was determined to prevent the capture of Philadelphia, and he believed his army had blocked all fords across the Brandywine Creek.

Because of poor scouting, the Americans did not detect British and Hessian troops hidden by fog further upstream on the Brandywine.

Messages between the American troops were difficult.

Most orders were communicated orally or musically, through fife and drum.

“They didn’t text each other,” Dunkerly quipped.

As a deception, General Howe sent a smaller contingent to engage American troops at Chadds Ford, while most of his troops crossed the Brandywine further upstream at an unguarded ford and surprised the American troops.

Howe’s troops outflanked and outmaneuvered Washington’s Continental Army, which suffered a crushing defeat.

Within five hours, Washington’s Army had lost 1,300 soldiers, who were killed, wounded or captured.

The British Army lost only 581 men, according to Dunkerly.

After the Battle of Brandywine, many of the wounded, as well as British captives, were brought to the Lehigh Valley.

Dunkerly said the injured soldiers were taken to Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton for treatment, while Allentown also became the site of two prisoner of war camps for captured British soldiers.

Despite losing the battle, Washington learned from the mistakes made at Brandywine and used the time in Valley Forge to develop a single drill manual that all American troops would use.

The training for marching, maneuvering, and loading and firing the muskets became consistent for the first time.

And eventually, the lessons learned from the loss at Brandywine led to improvements that ultimately won the war for America’s freedom.