Manalapan Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Perrine Hill Front Line
The Battle of Monmouth
— 28 June 1778, 12:30 PM —
Commander-in-Chief Washington and Major-General Lord Stirling organized their men in three lines. You are standing where two battalions of light infantry were posted. To their right were Pennsylvania troops. Behind you, two-thirds of the way up the hill, was a line of cannon and several more brigades of infantry. Out-of-Sight, just over the ridge, the Marquis de Lafayette commanded the reserves.
The 1st Pennsylvania Brigade saw no infantry action, but much shot and shell. Col. William Irvine wrote “the brigade I commanded was posted in front of our whole army, … not withstanding, we lost but 5 killed and a few wounded.” Some of the Brigade’s casualties were in Col. James Chamber’s 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. June 30, he wrote his wife, Kitty
“We gave the enemy a fine drubbing at Freehold Church …. Our Division was drawn up in front of our artillery in a small hollow, while the enemy’s artillery was placed on an eminence in front of our brigade. Of course, we were in a right line of their fire, both parties playing their cannon over our heads, and yet only killed two of our men, and wounded four of my regiment with splinters of rails. Yesterday, we buried upwards of two hundred and fifty of the bold Britons who were to conquer the world!”
Erected by NJ Department of Environmental Protection – Division of Parks & Forestry.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • Notable Places • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is June 30, 1701.
Location. 40° 16.806′ N, 74° 18.917′ 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. Mary “Molly” Hays (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battlefield Archaeology (about 500 feet away); Washington Resumes the Offensive (about 600 feet away); An Inspiring Commander in Chief (about 600 feet away); The Great Cannonade (about 600 feet away); Perrine Hill Spring (approx. 0.2 miles away); Molly Hays McCauley (approx. 0.2 miles away); Highlanders Decline Combat (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manalapan Township.
More about this marker. The bottom right of the marker contains a photograph of “The 1st Pennsylvania Regiment as depicted by re-enactors. Most men are without their packs and coats, as in 1778 they had been ordered to leave them in Englishtown.” The left of the marker features a map of the British and American troops during the Battle of Monmouth. It has the caption, “From this hill, the Continental artillery beat back two British attacks, and Lafayette’s reserves fended off a British flanking movement.”
Also see . . .
1. The Battle of Monmouth. New Jersey during the Revolution. (Submitted on December 13, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
2. The Battle of Monmouth, 1778. A British perspective of the Battle of Monmouth on BritishBattles.com. (Submitted on December 13, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 13, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,592 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 13, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.