History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 30

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

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Plains ; the left column, where I was, with Major- Generals Sterne, Vaughan and Grey, and Brigadiers Cleveland and Agnew, marched by Metuchen Meet- ing-house to join the rear of the right column in the road from thence to Scotch Plains, intending to have taken separate rontes, about two miles after the june- tion, in order to have attacked the enemy's left at Quibbletown. Four battalions were detached in the morning, with six pieces of cannon, to take post at Bonhamtown. The right column, having fallen in with the aforementioned corps of seven hundred meu soon after passing Woodbridge, gave the alarm, by the firing that ensued, to their main army at Quibble- town, which retired to the mountain with the utmost precipitation. The small corps was closely pushed by the light troops, and with difficulty got off their piece of cannon."

The above statement by Howe explains his retrograde movement and its objects pretty clearly. Having become aware of Washing- ton's advance, he caused that part of the forces which had already crossed to Staten Island to be moved back during the night of the 25th, !

his fortified eamp in the hills was brought to and early in the morning of Thursday, the 26th, General Howe after his troops had arrived at Amboy and part of them had crossed to Staten Island. And then he conceived the idea of making a sudden retrograde movement baek to- ward- Quibbletown, hoping to surprise Wash- ington in his new and weaker position, to bring on the general engagement for which he had been manœuvring since the 14th, and, by turn- ing the American lett, to gain the hills of Mid- dlebrook in their rear. These facts are made

which, of course, the Rangers were compelled to give way before the heavy masses of the enemy. But the sound of their fusillades was borne to the ears of Washington, who instantly understood its meaning, and without delay moved his main force back from Quibbletown to its former secure position on the heights of Middlebrook.

The latter part of this statement is without doubt an exaggeration, a- Lord Stirling, al- though he admitted the loss of the three guns, mentioned only a comparatively light loss in killed, wounded and prisoners. He was, how- ever. compelled to retreat before the heavy British force.1 which pursued him over the hills

1 The forces encountered by Lord Stirling on this occasion were composed of three regiments of Hessian grenadiers, one regiment of British grenadiers, one British regiment of light infantry, the Hessian chasseurs and the Queen's Rangers. Stirling also knew that the heavier column, under Howe, was close in the rear and would soon reinforce Corn- wallis : in which event his Stirling's) command must have been eut to pieces had he attempted to hold his ground.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

as far as Westfield.1 The soldiers of both armies were in a state of almost complete exhaustion from the intense heat of the day, but when the British columns arrived at Westfield they found that their outward march was ended, for Wash- ington had escaped and his army was once more posted in security beyond their reach. "It was three o'clock on Friday afternoon [June 27th] that the English generals, seeing Washington's impregnable position, took up their line of march from Westfield to Amboy, assaulted flank and rear by Scott's Light-Horse and Morgan's Rangers. They encamped that night at Spanktown [Rahway]. The next day, harassed as before, they resumed their retreat and arrived at Amboy, from which, on the last day of June, they departed, leaving New Jer- sey in possession of the American army. Dur- ing the remainder of the war the latter held Amboy, and the State was never again so com- pletely overrun with marauders and British troops, although many parties entered it for pillage from hostile camps in adjoining States." ?

When the last of the British troops had left Amboy and crossed to Staten Island, with the evident intention of embarking on the ships of the fleet, General Washington was in great doubt, and felt no little anxiety as to their des- tination,-whether it was Howe's intention to take the route by sea and the Delaware Bay to Philadelphia, or to proceed up the Hudson to ! co-operate with Burgoyne in his south ward advance down the upper valley of that river. As the latter scemed rather the more probable, the American army soon after evacuated its position at Middlebrook and moved north ward to Pompton Plains, where, and at other points between there and the Hudson, it was

1 " The enemy," said Ilowe in his report, " was pursued as far as Westfield with little effect, the day proving so in- tensely hot that the soldiers could with difficulty continue their march thither. In the mean time it gave opportunity for those Hying to escape by skulking in the thick woods until night favored their retreat to the mountain. The army lay that night at Westfield, returned the next day 10 Rahway, and the day following to Amboy. On the 30th. at ten o'clock in the forenoon, the troops began to cross over to Staten Island, and the rear-guard, under the con- mand of Lord Cornwallis, passed at two in the afternoon withont the least appearance of an enemy."

2 Dally's "Woodbridge and Vicinity."

stationed until it was ascertained, about two weeks later, that the British fleet, with the army 3. on board, had actually gone to sea with the ap- parent intention of making a movement against Philadelphia. Thereupon, the American army was again put in motion, and proceeded by casy marches 4 across the State to the Delaware River.

The main body of the army struck the river at Coryell's and Howell's Ferries, the division of Lord Stirling forming the column which crossed at Trenton. Anticipating this move- ment, Washington requested President Wharton to have accurate drafts made of the river and its approaches. This had been done, and boat- for the passage of the army across the stream had been collected at New Hope and points above. Having crossed the river to the Pennsylvania shore on the 29th and 30th at Coryell's and Howell's, the main body of the army was put in march down the York road in the morning of the 31st of July, General Washington starting at the same time for Philadelphia, where he ar- rived on the 2d of August. Two or three days later he rode out from the eity to Germantown, where he found the main body of the army. At about that time information was received which led to the belief that Howe had returned to Sandy Hook, and upon this the army was put in motion to retrace its steps towards Cory- ell's, but only reached Hartsville, Bucks County, Pa., when it was halted by reason of an express having arrived with dispatches from Congress, contradicting the report of Howe's return to. New York. The forces then remained en- camped along the Neshaminy Hills for thirteen

3 The British fleet left New York Bay, " having on board General Howe and thirty-six British and Hessian battalions, including light infanty and grenadiers, with a powerful ar- tillery, a New York corps called the Queen's Rangers and a regiment of light-horse. The residue of the army was. divided between New York and Rhode Island." -Gordon, p. 245.

4 Washington did not move towards the Delaware by forced marches, for he still had a suspicion that Hlowe's going to. sea was merely a feint, and that his real intention was to return and proceed up the Hudson, in which case the. American army would be compelled to march back again, and, in any event, Washington knew that he had more than sufficient time to reach Philadelphia in advance of Howe, when it should become certain that the latter was really moving against that eity.

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MONMOUTH COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

days, when, on the morning of the 23d, on re- I succeeded the departure of the armies of Wash- ceipt of positive intelligence that the British ington and Howe from New Jersey, the State, fleet had appeared at the head of the Chesapeake, though freed from the presence of large bodies and that the forces had landed, or were about landing, at the head of navigation on the Elk River, the army was again put in motion, and,

of troops, was still the theatre of some minor military operation -. When Howe embarked his army for Philadelphia he left on Staten passing through Philadelphia and across the Island between two and three thousand men, Schuylkill on the 24th, moved southward. The movement resulted, on the 11th of September, in the disastrous battle of the Brandywine, in which conflict the commands of Lord Stirling and General Maxwell (containing a large num- ber of Monmouth County men) took a promi- nent part, as did also the Monmouth County militia under General David Forman.1 of whom about sixteen hundred were European troops and nearly one thousand were loyal pro- vincials. This provincial force made frequent raids into New Jersey, doing much damage, but always making a short stay, and retreating rapidly back to the island, where they were under the protection of the European troops. On one of these occasions they had penetrated The battle of Brandywine was followed by the adjournment of Congress to Lancaster, Pa., the British occupation of Philadelphia (Septem- ber 26th), and by the battle of Germantown (October 4th), which resulted in disaster to the American army, and in which, as at Brandy- wine, the New Jersey troops under Stirling and Maxwell fought gallantly. After that unfor- tunate battle Washington took up a position at Whitemarsh, from which point it was his origi- mal intention to advance on Philadelphia ; but this enterprise was abandoned, and he soon after moved his forces to Valley Forge, where they ! of his division, with a body of militia, the latter went into winter-quarters. to Woodbridge, and taken captive twelve per- sons strongly attached to the patriot cause. On account of these incursions, General Sullivan projected an expedition to Staten Island for the purpose of capturing this provincial force, whose camping-places were at different points along the island shore, opposite the Jersey coast, and so far distant from the camp of their European allies that it was believed that they might be taken without alarming the foreign troops. The force detailed by Sullivan and accompanied by him in person, was composed of the select troops under command of Colonel Frederick Freling- Meanwhile, during the part of the year which huysen. The expedition, however, met with unite as much of disaster as of success; for, I General Forman and his command, having taken part in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, soon after- wards returned to their homes under permission given by General Washington, as follows ; having offerted a crossing before daylight, un- perceived by the enemy, it was afterwards miska by the guides, which caused such an interference with the preconcerted plan of attack that one " HEADQUARTERS, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, " October 6, 1777. entire battalion of the enemy made its cape, and, although a number of officers and men of the other commands were taken, the alarm was given to the British regulars, a part of whom, under General Campbell, advanced to attack Sullivan, who thereupon retreated to his boats, but was compelled to leave his rear guard as prisoners of war in the hands of the British.

" SIR,-You having informed me that the time of many of your present brigade of militia is near expiring, and that many others, who came out for no certain time, are anxious to return home, you have my permission to march them towards Delaware under pretence that you are going to guard the stores at Trenton, and when they have crossed the river you may discharge them. But I must beg that you will use your utmost endeavours to collect a number equal to what you were to have brought in your last bri- gade, and return with them as soon as possible, to join the army under my command. I shall be glad if you will let me know, upon your arrival in Jersey, when I may ex- peet you again, and what force.

" I am, Sir, your most obt. servt ,

" Go. WASHINGTON.

About three weeks after the affair at Staten Island the disaster on the Brandywine made it necessary that the Jersey militia, as well as the militia of other States, should be sent to rein- force General Washington's army. The re- quest of Congress to this effect was transmitted

" General Forman."

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTHI COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

by its President, John Hancock, on the 12th of September, to Governor Livingston, who im- mediately ordered the militia forward under the command of General Armstrong. The number asked for by Congress was four thou- sand from New Jersey, and, although the entire «mota was not filled, all the militia companies which were available at the time (less than a thousand men) crossed the Delaware and joined Washington in Pennsylvania. At the same time a column of American troops, which had been stationed at Peekskill-on-the-Hudson, moving from that point, entered and crossed the State of New Jersey, and reported to Wash- ington about the 1st of October.

Soon after the battle of Germantown the New Jersey militia were sent back to their own State, where their presence was thought to be necessary on account of the threatening atti- ! On the 11th of May, Sir Henry Clinton took command of the British army in Philadelphia as successor of General Howe. His instruc- tions from England were to evacuate Philadel- phia, and this he determined on doing on the tude of Sir Henry Clinton, the British com- mander in New York, who early in September had invaded the State with three thousand men in two columns, one moving by way of Eliza- bethtown Point and the other by Fort Lee, and : 23d of May, it being his intention to proceed uniting at New Bridge, above Hackensack. Ile remained in that State but a few days, but his presence and his threatening attitude after his withdrawal created a general alarm, which continued through the fall and succeeding winter.

About the 18th of October the welcome in- telligence was received in New Jersey of the surrender of Burgoyne and his entire army to General Gates at Saratoga. When the news of this surrender reached Paris, on the 4th of December, 1777, and was at once transmitted to Versailles, the King informed the American commissioners, through M. Gerard, one of his Secretaries of State, that the independence of the United States would be acknowledged by France. and that the treaty of alliance and com- merce between the two countries would be concluded. In accordance with the assur- ance given by the monarch, that treaty was finally ratified on the 6th of February, 1778, but it was not until the 1st of the following May that the glad intelligence reached General Washington in his squalid winter-quarters at Valley Forge. On the 7th of that month it

was officially announced in general orders by the commander-in-chief to the army amid great rejoieings, which were followed by religious observances in the several commands. " Wash- ington, with his lady and suite, Lord Stirling and his lady, with other general officers and ladies, attended the religious services of the Jersey brigade [Maxwell's], when the Rev. Mr. Hunter delivered a discourse. Afterwards all the officer- of the army assembled and partook of a collation provided by the commander-in- chief." This event marked the coming of almost the first ray of hope which pierced the gloom of Valley Forge, and it was not long after- wards that the campaign commenced, which ended in glory and victory on the field of Monmouth.

with the troops by water to New York. But, as he considered the probability that the fleet might be delayed by head-winds, thus enabling Washington to reach New York before him, he changed his plan, and decided to move his army to that city by land across the State of New Jersey.

The abandonment of Philadelphia by the British army had become a military necessity, beeanse too remote from the sea-coast, unless the Army of Occupation could be so reinforced as to be independent of support from New York. The detail of troops required by Gen- cral Howe had not been made. The rec- ommendation of General Amherst, military adviser to the King, " that forty thousand men be sent to America immediately" had been dis- approved. It was of vital importance, under such circumstances, that Sir Henry Clinton should reach the city of New York with the least delay, and the least possible embarrass- ment from fighting on the march.

The moral effeet of the proposed evacuation was in Washington's favor. The purpose of the English Cabinet to transfer all active oper-

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MONMOUTH COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

ation- to the Southern States had not been made Maxwell's Jersey brigade had been detached from the main body of the American army, and was now co-operating with the forces of General public, and when the British army took its de- parture with twelve miles of baggage-train, carrying all army supplies that coukl be loaded [ Philemon Dickinson to obstruet and harass th. on wagons, it made a deep impression on the people. It indicated that the withdrawal of of the army was no temporary diversion in order to entire Washington from his strong- hokl to a combat in the fieldl; but it was a surrender of the field itself to his control. It announced that the royalists would be left to their own resources and that the British army had not the strength to meet the contingencies of active operations, either in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. The embarkation of nearly three thousand citizens, with their merchandise and personal effects, to accompany the naval snad- ron, was equally suggestive.

British columns as much as possible, but they were too weak to interfere with their march oth- erwise than by destroying bridge- and obstruct- ing roads before them. Clinton did not attempt to move rapidly, but seemed rather to invite an attack. On the 24th of June his column-the (livision of General Knyphausen, with the pro vision train and heavy artillery-encamped at Imlaystown, while that of Cornwallis occupied Allentown, thus covering the other division from surprise. " The column of General Knyp- hausen " said Sir Henry Clinton,1 "consisted of the Seventeenth Light Dragoons, Second Bat- talion of Light Infantry, Hessian Yagers, First and Second British Brigades, Stirn's and Loos' brigades of He-sians, Pennsylvania Loyalists, West Jersey Volunteer- and Maryland Loyal- ists. The Second Division consisted of the Six- teenth Light Dragoons, First and Second Bat- talion> of British Grenadiers, the Guards and Third, Fourth and Fifth British Brigades."

The knowledge of the co-operation of France in the resistance of the colonie- to British an- thority and the impending arrival of a French fleet hastened the movement. As a matter of fact, that fleet appeared at the entrance of Del- aware Bay almost immediately after Admiral Howe turned Cape May for New York.

The evacuation of Philadelphia by the Brit- (linton had received information that the American army wa- already on the east side of the Delaware, in pursuit, and that Washington was expecting to be reinforced by General frate-' northern army. Thereupon, the British com- mander, fearing to hazard the attempt to reach New York by the direct way through New Brunswick, decided to take the Monmouth route to Sandy Hook Bay : and, placing all his trains in the advance, under escort of Knyphausen's column, with the Second Division in light march- ing order (and accompanied by himself in per- son) as a rear-guard, reached their camps at Al- ish began at three o'clock in the morning of June 18th and by ten o'clock in the forenoon his cu- tire army had crossed the Delaware and landed at Gloucester Point. In the evening of the same day his forces encamped at and near Haddon- field, on the south side of Cooper's Creek, five miles southeast of d'amden. From that place they moved on the following morning, march- ing up the Delaware, and nearly parallel with it. They marched in three divisions,-one by way of Mount Holly, one through Columbus, and one by Bordentown. This last division, when near the mouth of Crosswieks Creek, was at- lentown and Imlaystown on the 24th, as before

mentioned. From Imlaystown Knyphausen's division moved forward, on the 25th, to a point within four miles of Monmouth Court-House,

tacked by three regiments of New Jersey mili- tia, under Colonel Frederick Frelinghuysen, Colonel Van Dyke and Colonel Webster. It was but a skirmish, resulting in a loss to the land in the morning of Friday, the 26th, marched British of four killed and a greater number to the village now Frechold .? The rear divi- wounded. They then moved to Crosswicks, where they were again attacked by the militia 1 In his report, dated New York, July 5, 1778. while they were attempting to repair the bridge ? The fact is shown by the following extracts from the diary of Andrew Bell, then private secretary of Sir Henry Clinton : over the stream. This they finally succeeded in doing, and moved on towards Allentown.

" Friday, June 26th .- General Knyphausen moved to

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

sion came up in the forenoon of the same day, and Sir Henry Clinton established his head- quarters in a house (still standing and known in later years as the "Murphy house ") about a mile southwest of the court-house, near the Mount Holly road. The house was at that time the home of the family of William Conover. Here, with its immense trains, with pleasure carriages, women with their saddle-horses and baggage and a variety of other impedimenta brought from Philadelphia, the entire army re- mained from the forenoon of Friday, the 26th, until the morning of Sunday, the 28th of June, ; its lines extending from the village, a mile or two down the Middletown road, and a greater distance out on the road to Imlaystown. Dur- ing the two days and nights that the British army remained in the vicinity of Monmouth Court-House its horses were put out to pasture, the officers made merry over the wines and liquors (of which they had a plentiful supply), the tents were pitched and the men took a long and welcome rest after the toil and terrible heat of the march from Philadelphia.

Washington had suspected the design of the British commander to move his forces by land from Philadelphia to New York, but it was not until Clinton's army was safely across the Dela- ware that he became certain that such would be the movement. As soon as positive intelligence ! of the evacuation reached him he sent Arnokl with a small force to occupy Philadelphia, and in the afternoon of the 18th (the same day on which the British crossed into New Jersey) six brigades, comprising the divisions of Greene and Wayne, forming a corps which was under command of General Lee,1 moved towards the

Freehold Town (four miles), where the remainder of the army arrived at IO A.M., nineteen miles from Rising Sun. A very warm day ; very tired.

" June 27th, Saturday .- The whole army halted here this day. A deserter from Washington's army informs that the rebels are extended along our left flank, and are very numerous. .

1 General Charles Lee, who was captured at Basking Ridge. in December, 1776, by the British under Colonel Harcourt, was exchanged in May, 1778, for General Pres- cott. lle joined the army at Valley Forge, and was rein- stated in his old position as second in command under Washington.

Delaware in pursuit. Passing through Doyles- town, Lee reached the river at Coryell's Ferry, and crossed into New Jersey at that point in the night of the 20th. On the same night Wash- ington, who followed with the remainder of the forces, encamped at Doylestown, and, resuming the march on the following day, crossed at Cor- vell's on the 22d.2 From Coryell's the army moved over the highlands to Hopewell, where Washington remained during the 23d. At that point he detached six hundred riflemen, under Colonel Daniel Morgan, to annoy the right flank of the enemy, while Maxwell and Dick- inson were engaged in the same duty on his left, Lee's column had moved by a more southern route, by way of Pennington, and thence to Princeton. Washington's column, moving from Hopewell, also passed Princeton, and thence, about five miles, to a camp in Hopewell town- ship, where he remained until the morning of the 25th of June, having, on the previous day, sent a second detachment of fifteen hun- dred chosen troops, under Brigadier-General Scott to reinforce those already in the vicinity of the enemy, the more effectnally to annoy and retard their march.

On the 26th, the American army moved to Kingston ; and having intelligence that the enemy had been seen moving towards Monmouth Court House. Washington dis- patched a third detachment of one thousand men under General Wayne, together with the Marquis de Lafayette, who was assigned to the command of the entire advanced corps, includ- ing Maxwell's brigade and Morgan's riflemen.

Lafayette's orders were to " take the first fair opportunity to attack the rear of the enemy." In a dispatch to Washington, dated "Robins'

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History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 30

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