Ferguson wrote that he and three of his Sharp Shooters were scouting the American lines near Chadd's Ford, along Brandywine Creek (hence the name of the ensuing battle). He and his men heard the approach of two horsemen. The first was a brilliantly clad Hussar and the second rider, a few paces behind, was wearing the traditional blue and buff uniform of an American Senior Officer, mounted on a bay horse and wearing "a remarkably large cocked hat"

Therefore I decided to draw these guests into an ambuscade. On 20th, several hours before daybreak, I put an amusette behind a false hedge which I had fashioned from bushes, placing it so that the barn could be pierced easily. I sent Lieutenant Trautvetter with twelve jagers to a small hollow on this side of the river across from the parsonage borders to keep hidden until the Americans were dislodged from the barn by the fire of the amusette. Then they were to rise and accompany the piece with sharp rifle fire. All went well. As soon as day broke, the riflemen began their harassing with their long rifles. After the third cannon gunshot, the barn became silent and the enemy left it, whereupon he fell in jagers’ fire. Since the road ran up along the river, which was not over one hundred paces wide, the jagers had the best possible range, and every jager killed or wounded his man.