The Battle of Monmouth

 

 

 

 

 

Tim Bellmar

4/11/05

English Block: C

History Block: F

 

The Battle of Monmouth

 

I.                   Introduction

A.     Introduction to Battle and both sides of it

B.     The Battle of Monmouth was the turning point in the War that brought the colonists to their Revolution

II.                Prelude to Battle

A.     The British leave Philadelphia

1.      The French threat

2.      The British wagon train

B.     The Americans follow in pursuit

1.      Troops sent ahead

2.      The American nuisance

III.             The Battle Begins

A.     General Charles Lee

1.      Takes control of the leading American forces

2.      His many mistakes as commander

B.     Commander-in-Chief Clinton

1.      Leader of all British forces

2.      Out-smarts Lee on several occasions

IV.              The Turning Point

A.     Commander-in-Chief George Washington

1.      Arrives at the Battle Scene

2.      Relieves Lee of command

B.     Attacks and Counter-attacks

1.      The British try to penetrate the better controlled American troops

2.      The Americans counter-attack after stopping the surge

V.                 The Battle Ends

A.     The Outcome

1.      The Americans take the field

2.      The British withdraw to New York with a defensive victory

B.     Women in the Battle

1.      What they went through on the battle

2.      Mary Ludwig Hays

VI.              Conclusion

A.     The Battle of Monmouth showed the strength of the Americans

B.     Was the turning point of all the War

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “Historians said that it was ‘the most confusing…of any of the battles of the Revolutionary War’, and that ‘no clear understanding of so many simultaneous movements could be conveyed in words.’” (Samuel Smith 3).  This battle was the Battle of Monmouth which was fought in Freehold, New Jersey.  This battle was fought between the Colonists and their British oppressors. The main Colonial Army was located at Valley Forge during a long, cold winter. This army, measuring eleven thousand men (Furneaux 225), was trained by General Von Steuben during this winter.  Their British counterparts waited out the winter in the Colonial city Philadelphia.  This army was the greatest army known at the time, having a mixture of Hessians (German soldiers) in their cavalry and infantry (Lancaster, American Heritage 222-223). Little did they know that they would soon take part in “the largest land artillery battle of the Revolutionary War,” (Capuzzo).  The Battle of Monmouth was the turning point in the War that brought the Colonists to their Revolution.

            When the winter subsided, the British were forced to leave Philadelphia because of the French alliance with the colonies.  Clinton, the British Commander-in-Chief, was afraid that the French navy would blockade the British ports.  Because of this threat, Clinton began to move his troops toward New York City (Schwarz 72).  This trip, however, would not be very easy for the long British wagon train.  This caravan consisting of 1500 wagons, cannons, and troops stretched nearly twelve miles long. “On some days the head of the train had already stopped for the night before the end had started…,” (Samuel Smith 6).  With a wagon train this long, the British could only travel around forty miles per week through humid, hot weather.

            As the British left, Washington saw the vulnerability of the wagon train because of its length.  At a council of war held on June 24th, Washington told his idea of attacking the vulnerable British to his officers. However, his officers voted against attacking the British outright. Washington, instead, sent a smaller corps of troops, led by General Lafayette, to annoy the British (Valis). General Lafayette was not even 21 years old yet, but had been a general to French troops in Europe. Lafayette was a Frenchman who believed in the American cause and came to the Colonies to help (Samuel Smith 6).  At the council, Charles Lee was suggested to lead the troops in pursuit of the British, but he declined because he did not believe in the plans (Furneaux 225). Alexander Hamilton commented that Washington’s councils compared to “gaggles of midwives,” (Lancaster, From Lexington 349).  Along with Lafayette went Generals Morgan, Wayne and Dickinson among others to lead parts of the army (Furneaux 225).  This army’s job was to slow down the British, who had a head start on the Americans. They did this by filling wells, burning bridges and even cutting down trees in front of the British path.  The British finally made it to Freehold, New Jersey near the Monmouth Courthouse (from which the battle gets its name) and set up defensive positions.  This village contained around one hundred people and made it a good place to rest because of the looting opportunity.  Clinton himself stayed at a house owned by an old widow.  He convinced her to bring back all of her possessions from hiding promising their safety. When she did, his army took all of them leaving her with nothing (Samuel Smith 5-8).  The time for battle was nearing, and the Americans could ill afford a major loss to the overpowering British.

            When the time for battle had finally arrived, General Charles Lee demanded to be put in charge over Lafayette. He argued that it would be a shame for the Continental army to be led by a Frenchman.  Washington obliged, Lee being the higher ranked officer, as long as Lee went along with the plan.  Lee took control on June 27th, and was ordered to attack on June 28th (Furneaux 225).  On the morning of the 28th, the British began to leave Freehold using start-and-stop tactics which prevented a serious attack at their rear (Samuel Smith 10).  This caused Lee to delay his attack, letting Clinton realize what he meant to do (Schwarz).  Clinton called back General Cornwallis and his troops to protect the rear guard in case of an attack (Samuel Smith 14). Lee saw that the number of British he was going to attack went from 500-600 to 1500-2000.  The first real conflict in the battle came when General Wayne and Colonel Butler skirmished with the British troops.  After receiving this report from Wayne, Lee decided to try and trap the British. He would do this by having Wayne leading the British toward the courthouse, and then assaulting them from behind (13).  Lee ordered his troops to move left and right around the British rear in order to surround and capture them. The units moved to their positions but then received no further orders from Lee (Valis).  Lee tried to execute his plan by moving around behind the British. However, his troops kicked up dust that was noticed by the British officers and stopped the surprise (Samuel Smith 14).  “Charles Lee, self-acknowledged master of the art of war, scattered his command over the broken terrain as though spilling torn paper from a sack, and then apparently forgot about it,” (Lancaster, American Heritage 223).  Lee’s left flank began to flee from battle without orders from Lee. Seeing his left flank begin to crumble, Lee decided to abandon the field of battle thinking it a smart move (Valis).  Wayne, who was fighting even though the flank was faltering, tried to move back to the American lines but found Lee gone (Lancaster, American Heritage 223). “All this disgraceful retreating passed without the firing of a musket, over ground which might have been disputed inch by inch,” was said by Lieutenant Colonel Laurens (Furneaux 226). Although his statement is exaggerated, it shows the thoughts of the generals around Lee at the time.

            This retreat by Lee was premature as the battle had just started.  The lack of orders in this retreat made it even worse. The retreat saw mass confusion which led to many troops succumbing to the heat (Lancaster, American Heritage 223).  The weather of June 28th was a major factor in the battle.  “Humidity was fearful, the air a stifling blanket about the faces and nostrils,” (Lancaster, From Lexington 353).  At noon, the temperature reached ninety-six degrees and was seen in the ninety’s throughout the battle (Samuel Smith 11).  This heat, along with the heavy packs that each man had to carry, was unbearable (Furneaux 225).  “The weather was almost too hot to live in,” (231).  Lee’s delay in following orders gave the British the upper hand in the battle. Lafayette even described Lee as not being an American but an angry Whig. Lee was against attacking the British, against the Declaration of Independence, and seemed only to want to anger the British a little (Page Smith 1102). “Instead of culminating in an American victory, the Battle of Monmouth ended in disorderly retreat and near disaster,” (Furneaux 225-226).

            Lee should be at the very heart of who is to blame for the American confusion at the beginning of the battle.  It was his job to always know what is going on and to inform his generals of the same thing. By failing to do this, he put his entire army in jeopardy.  Lee was too taken up with what the British army stood for, which was the best army in the world. He forgot to realize that his army was now trained by one of the best, Steuben, and that they were fighting for their country. His army was fighting for the towns and states that they lived in, as the British were fighting to calm a rebellion far away from home. This fact gave the Americans a tremendous advantage over the British that Lee failed to recognize and use. Lee failed to get along with is fellow generals as well. Anthony Wayne is a perfect example of this, who was one of the main supporters of Lee being court-martialed.  By not getting the information necessary and sending it out to his generals as well as not trusting his own troops, Lee almost cost the Americans not only a battle, but a war.

            Commander-in-Chief George Washington arrived on the scene to see his troops fleeing all around him. When he finally found Lee, Lee told him that the American forces were not able to stand up to the British troops. Washington replied to him, “Sir, they are able, and by God the shall do it!,” (Valis). It was this leadership that the Americans had been waiting for all afternoon.  The retreat was finally stopped by George Washington who dismissed General Lee and took control into his own hands (Lancaster 223). When seeing Washington trying to rally his troops, Lafayette recalled,

Never was General Washington greater in War than in this action. His presence stopped the retreat; his disposition fired the victory; his fine appearance on horseback, his calm courage, roused to animation by the vexations of the morning, gave him the air best calculated to excite enthusiasm (Furneaux 229).

Washington did during the battle what he always had done well, restored control over a chaotic situation (Middlekauff 427).  “George Washington undoubtedly made errors as a general. But on this day as a leader he was close to flawless,” (Lancaster, American Heritage 224).  Washington’s moment of arrival was the turning point in the battle. Although the chance at a major victory had been lost because of Lee, the American’s had a chance to stop the rout and counter-attack the enemy with their new leadership (224).  Washing formed his retreating troops into defensive lines with the best of the British still attacking him. Three times, British grenadiers tried to break through the American center and right lines. Three times the lines held and were able to stop the British advance (Valis).  Steuben described his troops moving, “with as much precision as on ordinary parade and with the…intrepidity of veteran troops” (Lancaster, American Heritage 224). Joseph Martin described of the troops, “so eager were they to be revenged on the invaders of their country and rights,” (Page Smith 1096). Now came the time where Washington needed to use his heavy artillery against the British.  He positioned, with the help of a local man, General Greene on Combs Hill. This hill was the perfect place for his heavy artillery because of its natural protection. The hill was on high ground, surrounded by swampy area on three sides.  From here, his men could safely fire downhill upon the enemy with no chance of being overtaken (Samuel Smith 21). This action by Washington was crucial to the American side of the war. Without the use of this artillery, the British would have still been able to advance on the Americans without a care.  They would have eventually overpowered the American units and run them off causing severe blows to the American forces as well as their morale.  However, with this artillery in place, the Americans could now take a little rest as the cannons kept the British troops away from them at least for a while. The British also knew the importance of the American artillery and tried to put a stop to it. They attacked a rail fence that was being commanded by a regiment of Connecticut soldiers. From this point the British set up their own artillery in order to try and counter the Americans (Page Smith 1096).  Clinton tried to assault their artillery position, but after many attempts he realized that he could not do a thing (Middlekauff 428). Clinton, realizing that the cannon fire was just too dense, began to call his men away from the position against the fence. The problem was that many British had been cut down by the American cannon fire and they withdrew so quickly that General Wayne was able to attack them from behind with no rear guard to protect them.  This action by Wayne inflicted many blows on the enemy and even though he was eventually run off, was a very important attack on the side of the Americans (Samuel Smith 21-22). After the British fought off Wayne, they ran into an orchard that was close by to the rail fence. This orchard gave them a place to rest and hide from the ever constant sun.  Colonel Joseph Cilley saw the British in the orchard and decided to do something about their comfort. He rallied up the Connecticut men and attacked the British in the orchard.  Without even trying to hold the position, the British withdrew. They fled, Americans gaining on them slowly and taking shots at their backs (Page Smith 1096). Clinton was now in desperation. The only way he could think of to turn the battle was to turn the American left and right flanks.  He sent men to do this specific job, but they were cut down by American musket and cannon fire. This fire inflicted heavy damages upon the British from which they would not recover in the battle.  After many hours of attacking and counter-attacking one and other, the British finally withdrew from the battle. The Americans tried to launch an attack on them but they too were exhausted and night approached (Middlekauff 428).  “Scarlet coats and blue littered the trampled grass, struck down by the heat as often as by American bullets,” (Lancaster, American Heritage 224).

            General Washington was exactly what the American troops needed in this battle against the British. It was not that he was their Commander-in-Chief, but the fact that he was an American like them. He believed in their cause and fought with the same passion as his soldiers. He was able to calm them when they were worried, and lead them when they were ready.  This man alone changed the outcome of the War. He gave his troops hope, and something to fight for that Lee couldn’t give.  His leadership stopped the Americans from having a major disaster.

            The Battle of Monmouth was finally over as both armies withdrew at dusk. Around 3,000 men died, fell to the heat, or deserted during the battle. The British packed up during the night and marched to Sandy Hook where their Navy picked them up (Schwarz). For not obeying his orders, General Charles Lee was court-martialed at Monmouth Courthouse only days after the battle.  He was relieved of all military command and office for a year. However, he never again joined the military.  Exactly who won the battle is still disputed to this day.  Some say that since the Americans took the field, they won the battle. Others say that the British won a defensive battle, getting their whole caravan to New York. This battle not only was won by the Americans, but was what caused the rest of the war to end up as it did.  This was the last time that the two main armies fought against one another (Lancaster, American Heritage 224).  This was also the last time that any major battle was fought in the northern colonies (Schwarz). This shows that the British wanted to leave the north and head more south where they would find more Tories or British supporters. 

Another part of the War, though very revolting, were the medical procedures done throughout it.  In one part of the Battle of Monmouth, a British officer’s leg was taken off from the thigh by American cannon fire.  He was carried to a nearby doctor by an American soldier named Joseph Martin.  Here Martin was able to view what it was to have to go to the surgeon during battle. He witnessed men getting their limbs cut off in a very rough manner. In order to prepare themselves for such a thing, the men were given a little whiskey, and a piece of wood to bite down on (Page Smith 1097).  These medical procedures, though not very appealing, were the best that could be offered at the time in battle. With the battle over, it was things like this act by Martin that helped show that there might be peace after the war.

            Another major role played in the Battle of Monmouth and the rest of the Revolutionary War was by women. One of the great heroes in the Battle of Monmouth was Mary Ludwig Hays. She was gathering water for the troops as the battle ensued. When she got back from one such trip she found her husband wounded and his cannon unmanned.  The regiment was going to retreat until she took over in his place and fired upon the enemy.  She became widely known as Molly Pitcher (because of her job in the army) and was recognized by the military several times (Schwarz).  “As a woman, you have to make yourself useful, because we’re really not wanted here in the first place,” was said by a woman who plays Molly Pitcher in the Monmouth re-enactment, “we did a lot of jobs in the army, mostly laundry, some nursing, cleaning up vomit from those who received the smallpox inoculation, some cooking,” (Capuzzo). Without the role of women in the War, it might have turned out differently than what it did.

            The Battle of Monmouth was the turning point in the Revolutionary War.  Without this battle, the Americans might have never gained any confidence in their ability over the British. This battle was the first time in which the American army had taken on and defeated the British army in the open field (Capuzzo).  This battle proved that the Americans were able to stand against the British without the use of surprise tactics (Valis).  There are many reasons why the Battle of Monmouth was the turning point in the whole Revolutionary War. The British had been walking all over the Americans and now had to come to face with the facts that the Americans were not going to die easily.  Coming off the loss of Philadelphia to the British, the American morale was very low and in need of boosting by such a victory. This change in momentum between forces also helped sway the outcome of the war.  If the British had won this battle outright, there would be no reason for them to leave the northern part of the colonies. They could continue to dominate it, meanwhile making the southern colonies see that there was no will to fight. With this battle also came the emergence of major American heroes such as George Washington.  The American’s ability to avoid a major loss at the Battle of Monmouth boosted American morale, lowered the British morale, and showed that the Americans really had a great chance of getting their independence from the most powerful empire in the world. Without the Battle of Monmouth, with all of its high and low points, there would not be an America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Capuzzo, Jill P. “British Beware: Monmouth Redux.” New York Times 18 May 2003: 14NJ.15

Furneaux, Rupert. The Pictorial History of the American Revolution. Broadview, Illinois: Photopress, Inc., 1973

Lancaster, Bruce. The American Heritage History of The American Revolution. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., 1971

---. From Lexington to Liberty. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1955 (Brooks Library)

Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.

Schwarz, Frederic D. “1778: The Battle of Monmouth.” American Heritage 01 Apr. 2003. (Brooks Library)

Smith, Page. A New Age Now Begins Volume 2. Copyright 1976, Page Smith (Brooks Library)

Smith, Samuel Stelle. The Battle of Monmouth. Copyright 1964, S. S. Smith. (Brooks Library)

Valis, Glenn. “The Battle of Monmouth”.

            Harwich High School Lib. Harwich, Massachusetts. 29 Mar., 2005.

            http://www.doublegv.com/ggv/battles/Monmouth.html

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