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Manalapan Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Perrine Hill Spring

The Battle of Monmouth

— 28 June 1778 —

 
 
Perrine Hill Spring Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 3, 2010
1. Perrine Hill Spring Marker
Inscription.
During the Battle of Monmouth, thirst and heat killed almost as many men as cannons and muskets. Everyone was desperate for water. Hundreds of men – and probably Molly Hays – filled canteens and buckets from this spring.

June 28, 1778 was hot, very hot – over 100º in the fields. On this hill alone, 7000 men were stationed, most trapped in the baking sun. The only water available to them were the wells at farmhouses, the two brooks, and the springs flowing into the brooks. Farm wells were drunk dry, and brook water was warm and muddy. The clean, cool water from the spring below was a priceless, lifesaving beverage.

A British Grenadier Describes the Weather
We proceeded five miles in a road composed of nothing but sand which scorched through our shoes with intolerable heat; the sun beating on our heads with a force scarcely to be conceived in Europe, and not a drop of water to assuage our parching thirst; . . . a number of soldiers were unable to support the fatigue, and died on the spot.

Courtnay and myself lay under the hill together during the cannonade, and swallowed a canteen of water which a tempting dollar from my pocket prevailed on an artillery driver to creep on all fours through the fire and fetch us at the imminent hazard of his life
.”

Lt. William Hale, 45th Regiment, 2nd Grenadiers,
in
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a letter to his parents, July 4, 1778.
 
Erected by NJ Department of Environmental Protection – Division of Parks & Forestry.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1990.
 
Location. 40° 16.855′ N, 74° 19.114′ W. Marker is in Manalapan Township, New Jersey, in Monmouth County. Marker can be reached from Freehold Road (County Route 522), on the left when traveling east. Marker is located on the Monmouth Battlefield hiking trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Englishtown NJ 07726, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Molly Hays McCauley (here, next to this marker); An Inspiring Commander in Chief (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Great Cannonade (about 400 feet away); Mary “Molly” Hays (about 500 feet away); Battlefield Archaeology (about 500 feet away); Perrine Hill Front Line (approx. 0.2 miles away); Washington Resumes the Offensive (approx. ¼ mile away); Continental Soldiers Grave (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manalapan Township.
 
More about this marker. The left side of the marker features a photo of “Lois Bredesen as ‘Molly Hays,’ Monmouth 2005.” A photo of “Royal Welch Fusiliers with a precious canteen
Marker on the Monmouth Battlefield image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 3, 2010
2. Marker on the Monmouth Battlefield
of water, Monmouth 2004” appears at the upper right of the marker.
 
Also see . . .
1. Monmouth Battlefield State Park. New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry website. (Submitted on November 8, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.) 

2. The Battle of Monmouth. From the American Revolution website. (Submitted on November 8, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.) 

3. The Battle of Monmouth, 1778. A British perspective of the Battle of Monmouth on BritishBattles.com. (Submitted on November 8, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.) 
 
Monmouth Markers image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 3, 2010
3. Monmouth Markers
Two markers are located on this observation deck on the Monmouth Battlefield walking trail. The Perrine Hill Spring marker is seen here on the left.
Marker and Spring image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 3, 2010
4. Marker and Spring
The Perrine Hill Spring can be seen here in the woods behind the marker.
Perrine Hill Spring image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 3, 2010
5. Perrine Hill Spring
The Perrine Hill Spring is seen here from the observation deck where the marker is located.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,052 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on November 8, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.   4. submitted on November 9, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.   5. submitted on November 8, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.

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Mar. 19, 2024