Battle of Monmouth
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The Battle of Monmouth (prounounced Mon-meth) was an American Revolutionary War battle fought in New Jersey on June 28, 1778, that was a turning point of the American Revolution. The main Continental Army under George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army's column led by Sir Henry Clinton as they left Freehold Court-House (modern Freehold Borough).
Battle
The Americans moved on east from Valley Forge to attack. General Charles Lee was handed the command, and his troops led the advance and initiated the first attack on the British column's rear. When the British turned to flank him, he ordered a general retreat without so as much as firing a shot at the enemy, and his soldiers soon became disorganized. Washington sent the dejected Lee to the rear, then personally rallied the troops and repelled two counterattacks referred to as "Washington's Advance". The battle was a standoff. With a high of over 100 degrees F. both sides almost lost as many men to heat stroke as to the enemy. Both sides retired at nightfall.
Eventually exhaustion forced Clinton to call off the attack. Washington tried to organize a counterattack, but the daylight had began to fade and his exhausted troops could fight on no longer. By about six in the evening the fighting was over. Clinton was happy that his main objective of the day, to cover his retreat, had been achieved. The next morning the Americans woke to find the British had slipped away during the night. The rest of the march to Sandy Hook went without a hitch, and on July 1 the British army reached the safety of New York City, from where they were evacuated to New York.
The Battle was a Tactical American Victory, because Washington proved to every one that the training at Valley Forge during the winter of 1775-6 had molded the American Army into a well drilled and highly disiplined fighting force that could stand toe to toe with the British in traditional European combat.
Aftermath
The battle was the last major engagement of the northern theater, and the largest one-day battle of the war when measured in terms of participants. Lee was later court-martialed for his actions at the Village Inn located in the center of Englishtown.[1] Monmouth is considered the second of only two major battles over the course of the war in which Washington's army faced British Regulars on straightforward terms in a set-piece field battle and were not tactically defeated (See also Battle of Princeton).
The legend of "Molly Pitcher" is usually associated with this battle. According to one story, she was a housewife who came to battle with her husband and took his place at the cannon after he fell. Based on a true incident, the story idea is embellished and has become a legend over the years. Two places on the battlefield are marked as sites of the Molly Pitcher Spring.[2]
Although never accorded formal preservation, Monmouth Battlefield is one of the best preserved of the Revolutionary War battlefields.[2] Each year during the last weekend in June, the Battle of Monmouth is reenacted at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in modern Freehold Township and Manalapan.
Archive
The Monmouth County Historical Association at 70 Court Street in Freehold, New Jersey houses a collection of documents which includes personal accounts, journals, pension applications, letters, and miscellaneous printed material. It is a subject collection acquired through various donors.