History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 28

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co.
Number of Pages: 1148

USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > History of Monmouth county, New Jersey > Part 28

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The march of the two columns was so well planned and ordered that both reached the enemy's outposts at Trenton at almost exactly

by the Americans at Trenton comprised six hopeless, the place, with its troops (except ~uch

inissioned officers. In reference to the losse- in action of the British and American force- re- speetively, General Washington said, in hi- re- port,-" I do not know exactly how many they had killed, but I faney not above twenty or thirty, as they never made any regular stand. Our Joss is very trifling indeed-only two officers and one or two privates wounded."

The plan of Washington in recrossing the Delaware had contemplated the probability, that, the same time, Sullivan coming in from the in the event of success at Trenton, he might be west and Washington and Greene from the able to maintain his position in New Jersey ; north. At a few minutes before eight o'clock2 , but, on account of the inability of Ewing and the Hessian encampments came into view, and, Cadwallader to cross the river, as was expected, at the sight, Washington, riding to the head of there were still left at Bordentown, Mount Holly the troops and pointing with his sword towards

1 " General Washington with hisarmy halted at the house of Benjamin Moore at Birmingham and ate a piece of mince- pie and drank a glass of cider. liis men also partook of some refreshments before marching into Trenton."- Raum.

2 Washington, in his official report of the Trenton fight, said, "The upper division arrived at the enemy's advanced post exactly at eight o'clock ; and in three minutes after 1 found from the fire on the lower road that the division had got up. The out-guards made but a small opposition, though, for their numbers, they behaved very well, keeping up a constant retreating fire from behind houses. We presently saw their main body formed, but from their motions they seemed undetermined how to act."

3 .. Colonel Rabl, the llessian commander, whose head- quarters were at the City Tavern. corner of Warren and Bank Streets, opposite Still's Alley, was mortally wounded during the early part of the engagement, being shot from his horse while endeavoring to form hi- dismayed and disordered troops. When, supported by a file of sergeants. he presented bis sword to General Washington (whose countenance beamed with complacency at the success of the day), he was pale and bleeding, and iu broken accents seemed to implore those attentions which the victor was well disposed to bestow upon him. He was taken to his headquarters, where he died."-Raum's " History of Tren- ton."

The shot that killed Rahl was said to have been fired by Colonel Frederick Frelinghuysen.

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and other points below Trenton and within force (in which was included a considerable striking distance several British detachments number of Monmouth County soldiers), wa- which were collectively far stronger than the ordered to advance hi- troop- towards Now American force which could be mustered to Brunswick, as if threatening an attack, and hold them at bay. Under these circumstances.

hara -- all the contiguou- posts of the enemy Washington thought it his only prudent course to as much as possible ; and finally, Generals Cad- return with his army to the west side of the river ; and this he did without delay, remaining

wallader and Mifflin, at Bordentown and Cross- wiek-, were directed to hold their forces (then in Trenton only a few hours to allow his men amounting to more than three thousand five sufficient time for rest and refreshment. In the hundred men) in constant readiness to reinforce afternoon of the 26th the column> were again put in motion and marched back by the route

the main body under Washington when it should make it- appearance at Trenton. These over which they had come in the morning, and, dispositions having been made, and all prepara- recrossing at MeConkey's Ferry with their prisoners and captured material, were all safely quartered before midnight in the camp which they had left in the evening of the preceding day.

Bat though he had found it expedient to re- tire to his strong position on the Pennsylvania shore after the victory at Trenton, Washington had by no means abandoned his plan of repo -- sessing West Jersey, and he at once commenced preparations for a second expedition to that end. On the 29th of December-only three days after the Trenton exploit-he wrote from hi- headquarters at Newtown, Pa., to Con- gress, saying,-

" I am just setting out to attempt a second passage over the Delaware with the troops that were with me on the morning of the 26th. General Cadwallader crossed over on the 27th, and is at Bordentown with about one thousand eight hundred men. General Mifflin will be to-day at Bordentown with about our thousand six hundred more. . . . In view of the meas- ures proposed to be pursued, I think a fair opportunity is offered of driving the enemy entirely from Jersey, or at least to the extremity of the province.

In anticipation of the projected resumption of operations in New Jersey, orders had been sent to General Heath, who was still at Peeks- to sail for England, in the belief that the rebel- kill-on-the-Hud-on, to leave only a small de- lion was virtually crushed and the war nearly tachment of his troop- at that place, and to over. Upon receipt of the amazing news from move at once with his main body, cross into Trenton, he at once relinquished his voyage, New Jersey, and march towards the British returned to New Jersey, and put his troops in motion towards Trenton. The British post at Bordentown, previously held by a strong force under Count Donop, had been abandoned on the 27th of December, and the troops which cantonment, to divert their attention, but with- ont intending an attack. General William Maxwell, who in the retreat through this State had been left at Morristown with a considerable

tions completed, Washington moved his army aeross the Delaware into New Jersey on the 30th of December, and marched to Trenton. At this point he was under serious embarrass- ment, for the terms of service of a large part of the Eastern militia expired on the 1st of Janu- ary, and it was very doubtful whether they could be persuaded to remain. The arguments of the commander-in-chief, however, were -ne- cessful in prevailing on them to continue for an additional term of six weeks, in view of the brightening prospects of the American can-e and the promise of a bounty of ten dollars per man. There was no money in the military chest to pay these promised bounties, but Wa-h- ington at once sent a messenger to Robert Morris, at Philadelphia, asking him to supply the means. if possible; and that patriotic finan- eier promptly responded by sending fifty thou- sand dollar- in cash, borrowed from a rich Quaker, on Morris' individual note, and the pledge of his honor to repay it.

At the time of the Hessian disaster at Trenton the British force- in New Jersey were under command of General Grant, whose head- quarters were at New Brunswick. Lord Corn- walli- was at New York, making preparations

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

had been stationed there retreated to Princeton, the British to cross, the Americans kept up where they joined the force of General Leslie, their artillery fire till dark, and the British withdrew to the higher ground in the outskirts

and threw up defensive earthworks. When Cornwallis advanced from New Brunswick, the of the town, along the Princeton road, where force at Princeton, execpting three regiments umn, which moved towards Trenton, and arrived there about four o'clock in the after- noon of Thursday, the 2d of January, 1777.

Cornwallis established his headquarters, and under Colonel Mawhood, joined the main col- directed dispositions to be made for a renewal of the battle in the morning, when, he said, he would " catch that old fox," Washington, whom he imagined he had now so securely entrapped beyond the Assanpink. But his boast failed confronted cach other were each about five most signally of its execution.

The two hostile armies which then and there thousand strong, but one-half the force of The situation of Washington was now peril- ous in the extreme, for nothing could be more certain than that Cornwallis would renew the battle in the morning, and it was almost equally certain that in such an event, the victory would such should be the result, the American army Washington 1 was made up of undisciplined militia, while that of his adversary included many of the finest troops of the British army. Before the advance of Cornwallis, Washington's forces retired across the bridge to the south side be with the disciplined soldiers of Britain. If of Assanpink Creek, where it was soon after- wards joined by General Greene's division, could hardly escape the alternative of surrender which had been sent out to reconnoitre and or annihilation, for a retreat across the Delaware sible. Immediately after dark a council of war was called, at which were assembled the com- mander-in-chief and Generals Greene, Sullivan, Knox, Mercer, St. Clair, Dickinson, Stevens, Cadwallader, Mifflin, Stark, Wilkinson and skirmish with the enemy, hoping to so delay in presence of such an enemy would be impos- his movements that no engagement would be brought on until morning. But the British regulars promptly drove Greene's detachment into Trenton and across the AAssanpink, and then with very little delay moved in two vol- mmins, one down Green Street towards the others. Some of the more impetuous officers bridge, and the other down Main Street to- wards the point where the lower bridge now stands, intending to force a passage over the bridge and across the ford; but they were repulsed by the vigorous fire of Washington's artillery, which, being posted on the high south- ern bank of the stream, was so effective that the assailants failed to cross, and were com- pelled to retire, but with what loss is not

advised a stand for battle in their present posi- tion; others favored a retreat down the left bank of the Delaware, and a crossing of the river at Philadelphia under protection of the guns of General Putnam ; but the plan which was adopted was that of a rapid night-move- ment around the enemy's flank to his rear, and a sudden attack on the British force at Prince- ton, which consisted of only three regiments of execution of this plan was singularly favored by Providence, for, even while the council of

known.2 After the failure of this attempt of cavalry and three squadrons of dragoons. The

1 Cadwallader and Mifflin, with their forces from Borden- town, had joined Washington on the night of the Ist of January.

" The "battle of Assanpink" has frequently been de- scribed as a fearful conflict, in which the stream was filled with the bodies of slain British soldiers. That this is a gross exaggeration, and that there was really no battle at all (but merely a brisk cannonade from the American artillery on the south bank, preventing the enemy from crossing the stream), is pretty clearly shown by an anthority as high as General Washington himself, in the report which he made to Congress, dated Pluckamin, January 5, 1777, in which, re- ferring to this affair, he says, " On the 20, according to my expectations, the enemy began to advance upon us : and

after some skirmishing the head of their column reached Trenton about four o'clock, whilst their rear was as far back as Maidenhead. They attempted to pass Sanpink Creek, which runs through Trenton, but finding the fords guarded, halted and kindled their fires. We were drawn up on the other side of the creek. In this situation we re- mained until dark, commanding the enemy and receiving the fire of their field-pieces. which did us but little damage." This is all the mention made by the commander- in-chief, in his official report. of the so-called " battle of Assanpink."

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MONMOUTH COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

war was engaged in it- deliberations, the ing fact that the " fox " had escaped from his weather, which had been warm during the day, trap, and the nupleasant truth was soon after turned suddenly cold; so that in a few hours the muddy roads were frozen sufficiently hard to bear up the artillery, and greatly to facilitate the marching of the troops.

The movement to Princeton being decided on, its immediate execution was ordered. The camp-fires of the American army along the shore tories achieved in the war for independence.

of the AAssampink were kept brightly burning, and were replenished with fresh fuel about mid- night ; and soon afterwards, leaving the sentinel- ( their posts, to delude the enemy, the forces were all put in motion, and marched rapidly but silently away in the darkness. The baggage-

The British troop- in Princeton were a body of cavalry and the Seventeenth. Fortieth and Fifty-fifth Infantry Regiments of the line, all under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Maw- hood. He had during the night received orders to march at daylight with the greater part of his train of the army was sent away quietly on the command for Trenton, to give his assistance in road to Burlington. The route taken led, by way of Sandtown, across Miry Run, and, farther up, across the A-sanpink, around the left flank of the British army ; then, veering to the left, along the " Quaker road " to and across Stony Brook, where the main column left the highway and took a by-road passing through lowlands directly to Princeton ; while General Mercer, with about three hundred and fifty men and two pieces of artillery under Captain Neal, continued along the Quaker road, with orders to proceed to Worth's Mill and take possession of the bridge by which the okl road from Princeton to Trenton crossed Stony Brook.

The march of the American forces had been slow during the two or three hours immediately following their departure from their camp on the Assanpink, because on that part of their route they had been compelled (in order to avoid the ontposts of the enemy's left flank) to traverse a new road, from which the logs and stumps had not been cleared. But the last part of their march had been made very rapidly over the hard-frozen highway ; so that when the sun rose they were already nearing Princeton. And never was a sunrise more auspicions than that which sent its rosy rays through the frosty air on the morning of the 3d of January, 1777. To Cornwalli- at Trenton' it revealed the mortify-

) " Great was his [Cornwallis' ] astonishment and alarni at dawn to find the patriot camp-fires still burning, but not a man, nor hoof. nor tent, nor cannon there, All was silent and dreary on the south side of the Assanpink, ind

emphasized by the dull sound of distant artillery coming from the northward. To the eyes of Washington and his officer- that sunrise was welcome, for it showed them the position of the foes they had come to sock : and it lighted them on their way to one of the most important vie-

the battle which Cornwallis intended to open along the shores of the Assanpink on the morn- ing of the 3d. and in obedience to that order he had put the Seventeenth and Fifty-fifth Regi- ments, with a part of the cavalry, in motion, and. accompanying them in person, moved out on the old Trenton road. The commanding officer. with the Seventeenth Regiment and nearly all his cavalry, was fully a mile in advance of the rear division of the column, and had already crossed the Stony Brook bridge at Worth's Mill when he discovered Mereer's force moving rap- idly along the opposite bank of the stream to- wards the mill. Upon this he promptly coun- termarched his men, moved them on the double- quick back to the bridge, recrossed it, and hast- ened on to secure a commanding position on high ground to the right of the road. General Mer- cer, as his detachment emerged from a piece of woods near the Quaker meeting-house, discov- ered the British. and, divining their object. double-quicked his troops towards the same eminence, determined to occupy it in advance of the enemy, if possible. Having reached the house and orchard of William Clarke, he per-

no man of the British army knew whither the Americans had fed until the din of battle in the direction of Prince- ton came faintly upon the keen morning air at sunrise. Cornwallis heard the booming of cannon, and, although mid-winter, he thought it was the rumbling of distant thunder. The quick ear of Erskine decided otherwise. and he exclaimed. . To arms, general: General Washington has outgeneraled us ! Let us tly to Princeton ' ' -Lossing, rol. il. p. 234.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

ceived the enemy's lines advancing up the oppo- Colonel Mawhood, with the Seventeenth Brit- site slope. The Americans pushed on to the ish Regiment and his cavalry, fled from the bat- slight cover of a rail-fence which was between the opposing forces, and there they delivered their volley with precision and deadly effect, firing afterwards at will. The British promptly tle-field to the same road over which they had marched in the morning, and, crossing the Story Brook bridge at Worth's Mill, moved rapidly on towards Maidenhead, where they knew Gen- returned the fire and charged with the bayonet. "eral Leslie had passed the night with his divi- Mercer's riflemen had no bayonets on their ; sion, the rear guard of Cornwallis' army. Leslie, of Princeton, was already on the march towards Stony Brook, and in his advance met the routed pieces, and, being unable to withstand the however, hearing the cannonade in the direction furious onset of the British, fled in precipitation and disorder, abandoning their two field-pieces and closely pursued by Mawhood's grenadiers ; troops of Mawhood, which latter had been pur- but when they reached the cast brow of the sned only a short distance by the Americans, because Washington knew of the proximity of General Leslie in the direction in which they re-

slope near Clarke's house, they were met by the Continentals and militia under Washington, who had left the by-road on which he was treated. Mawhood's artillery pieces were left on marching, at a point near the Olen farm, and the fiehl, and fell into the hands of the Ameri- hurried up to the support of Mercer. The fugitive cans ; but, as they could not take them away for Americans here rallied and reformed on a new line, want of horses, they afterwards returned to the and a section of one of Washington's batteries, possession of the enemy.

commanded by Captain William Moulder, poured a storm of canister into the faces of the pur-ner -.

At the close of the action near ('larke's house General Washington sent a detachment, under At this point, Mawhood, discovering for the first time the presence of Washington and his force, ceased the pursuit, brought up his artillery pieces, and opened on Moulder's section, which he immediately afterwards charged, in a desperate The scene of the conflict at this moment, when the lines of the opposing forces confronted cach other and the men of each awaited the command to fire, is thus described by Bancroft : Major Kelley, of the Pennsylvania militia, to destroy the bridge over Stony Brook, for the purpose of delaying the advance of General Les- lie with the reserve division of Cornwallis ; but before they had accomplished the work the but unsuccessful attempt to capture the guns. enemy came in sight on Millett's Hill and opened a fire on the working-party from their artillery, which finally drove them from the bridge, though not until it had been rendered impassable for the British artillery and trains. The commanding officer of the detachment, Major Kelley, was knocked off the bridge into the stream, but, -le- cecding in crawling out, was making his way towards Princeton, when he fell into the hands of the enemy. The British commander, Corn- wallis, on coming up to the bridge, found it im- passable for his column ; but so great was his anxiety for the safety of his magazines of supply at New Brunswick (which he fully believed to be Washington's destination) that, bitterly cold as it was, he ordered his troops to ford the stream, which they did, and then, with their clothing frozen stiff, pushed on as fast as they were able in pursuit of the Americans.

" General Washington, from his desire to animate his troops by example, rode into the very front of danger, and when within less than thirty yards of the British he reined his horse with its head towards them as both parties were about to fire, seeming to tell his faltering forces that they must stand firm or leave him confront the enemy alone. The two sides gave a vol- ley at the same moment, when, as the smoke cleared away, it was thought a miracle that Washington was untouched. By this time Hitchcock, for whom a raging hectic made this day nearly his last, came up with his brigade, and Hand's riflemen began to turn the left of the English. These, after repeated exertions of the greatest courage and discipline, re- treated before they were wholly surrounded, and fled over the fields and fences up Stony Brook. The ac- tion, from the first conflict with Mercer, did not last more than twenty minutes. Washington, on the battle-ground, took Hitchcock by the hand, and be- fore his army thanked him for his services."

In the battle with Mawhood, the left wing of his force, the Fifty-fifth Regiment, was cut off I from the right, and was driven into the town,

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MONMOUTH COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

where it took a position in a ravine near the col- lege. There it was attacked by the New Eng- land regiments of Stark, Poor, Patterson and Reed, and after a desperate resistance was utterly routed and sent flying in disorder along the road towards Kingston. A part of the Fortieth Regi- ment (which had been left in Princeton when Mawhood marched out in the morning, and which consequently participated very little in the day's fighting) joined in the retreat and swelled the throng of fugitives. A detachment of the Ameri- can force pursued them, but they soon left the main road, and, striking off to the left, fled in a northerly direction along the by-ways and through the fields and woods, where most of them es- caped.

In the college buildings at Princeton there re- mained a part of the Fortieth Regiment, which had occupied it as barracks. Washington, sup- posing that these men would stand and defend their position, ordered up a section of artillery, which opened on the buildings. The first shot fired passed into the Prayer-Hall and through the head of a portrait of His Majesty George Il. which hung on the wall. But little show of re- sistance was made by the British within the buildings, and finally James Moore, of Prince- ton, a captain of militia, with the assistance of a few others as bold as himself, burst open a door of Nassau Hall and demanded a surrender of the forces within. The demand was at once complied with, and the entire body, including a number of sick, gave themselves up as prisoners of war. This was the last of the British forces in Princeton, and Washington, having now en- tirely cleared the town of his enemies, immedi- ately evacuated the place, and with his army moved rapidly away towards Kingston.

The advance division of Cornwallis, which had hurried up from Maidenhead towards the scene of action and dashed through the icy waters of Stony Brook, as before mentioned, moved for- ward in the greatest haste from that point to Princeton. Guarding the southwestern approach

to the town was a bastioned carth-work which had been thrown up a week or two carlier by their own forces, and upon its rampart a thirty- two-pounder gun had been mounted by Count Donop. Now, as the head of Leshe'sdivision came on at a quick-step, it was greeted by a thundering report from the great gun, which had been fired by two or three American soldiers who still lingered near it. The rush of the ponderou- shot above the heads of the British caused the advancing column to halt, and the commander, who now believed that Washington had determined to defend the place, sent out parties of cavalry to reconoitre, the infantry in the mean time ad- vancing slowly and with great caution prepara- tory to an assault of the work. By these move- ments Cornwallis lost one precious hour, and when his men at last moved up to the fortifica- tion they found it entirely deserted, and soon after the cavalry-parties reported that there was not a rebel soldier in Princeton. Upon this the British general, chagrined at the delay resuking from his useless cantion, ordered his columns to move on with all speed on the New Brunswick road. Arriving at Kingston, three miles ffer Princeton, he found that the Americans had broken down the bridge at that place ; but this was soon repaired, and the army, having crossed the stream, was again hurried on in the hope of overtaking the Americans in time to prevent the destruction of the military stores at New Brun -- wiek. Cornwallis arrived at that place during the succeeding night, and was rejoiced to find his stores untouched ; but he found no American army, for " the fox " had again eluded him, and was at that time safe among the hills of the upper Raritan.

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History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 28

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co. Number of Pages: 1148

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co.
Number of Pages: 1148