"What is this you have been about to day?"
The New Jersey Brigade at the Battle of Monmouth

John U. Rees
© 2003

EVENT SYNOPSIS

Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778: An Overview

NARRATIVE

1. Introduction

2. "In readiness to march at a moment's warning ...":
Pre-Battle Dispositions and Plans

3. "To get up with the enemy":
Major General Charles Lee's Force Sets Off

4. "I found the whole of the troops upon my right retreating ...":
Morning Confrontation at Monmouth Courthouse

5. "The day was so excessively hot ...":
Lee’s Retreat

6. “They answered him with three cheers ...”:
Washington Recovers the Day

7. “The Action was Exceedingly warm and well Maintained …”:
Infantry Fighting at the Point of Woods, Hedge-row, and Parsonage

8. "The finest musick, I Ever heared.":
Afternoon Artillery Duel, and Cilley’s Attack on the 42nd Regiment

9. “Detached to assist in burying the dead …”:
Battle’s Aftermath

10. “The March has proved salutory to the troops.”:
Post-Battle: The Continental Army Moves North

11. “A very irregular & ill managed Embarkation.”:
Post-Battle British March to Sandy Hook

12. "The defective constitution of our army ...":
Casting Blame for the Morning Debacle

APPENDICES

Introduction

As a reader I often find myself wishing to delve further into letters and diaries quoted in historical narratives. With that in mind this collection provides many of the primary sources quoted in the narrative portion of this study. Also included are a table of organization for Major General Charles Lee’s advance force, accounts of pre-battle movement of the armies, New Jersey officers’ battle descriptions, battle-related pension depositions, a study of New Jersey brigade artillery, and a compendium of post-battle newspaper articles.

A. “Beware of being Burgoyned.”:
Marching Toward Monmouth, Delaware River to Freehold, 18 to 27 June 1778

B. “The whole army moved towards the Delaware …”:
Continental Army March from Valley Forge to Englishtown, N.J., 18 to 27 June 1778

C. “General Lee being detached with the advanced Corps …”:
Composition of Charles Lee’s Force

D. “Our Division formed a line on the eminence …”:
Washington’s Main Army Order of Battle, 28 June 1778

E. “A large Number of troops …”:
Continental and British Army Field Returns, 28 June 1778

F. “I resolved nevertheless to attack them …”:
American Monmouth Battle Accounts

G. “Charge, Grenadiers, never heed forming”:
British Accounts of the Monmouth Battle

H. “More Glorious to America than at first Supposed ...”:
New Jersey Officers Describe the Battle of Monmouth

I. “They answered him with three cheers ...”:
New Jersey Common Soldiers' Pension Depositions

J. “A very smart cannonading ensued from both sides.”:
Maxwell’s Jersey Brigade Artillery and the Afternoon Cannonade at Monmouth

K. “Jun 29^th, Buried the Dead …”:
Casualties in the Battle of Monmouth

L. “We are informed by several persons …”:
Contemporary Newspaper Accounts

M. “That damned blue Regiment …”:
Continental Army Clothing during the Monmouth Campaign

N. “General Wayne's detachment is almost starving.”:
Provisioning Washington’s Army on the March, June 1778

O. “The canopy of heaven for our tent”:
Soldiers' Shelter on Campaign, June 1778