Manalapan Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Locating the Continental Artillery on Combs Hill
The Battle of Monmouth • June 28, 1778
Photographed by Richard Peterson, June 28, 2025
1. Locating the Continental Artillery on Combs Hill Marker
General George Washington, on the advice of Lieutenant Colonel David Rhea who was raised in this area, ordered Major General Nathanael Greene to take a position here on Combs Hill. Greene brought a battery of four cannon and bombarded the British at the hedgerow. Later that day, this position proved ideal for cannonading the British Grenadiers at the Parsonage Farm, causing them to retreat.
The approximate location of Greene’s artillery on this hill, as recorded in historic documentation, has been confirmed using modern surveying techniques and mathematical analysis.
The Capitaine map of 1778 illustrates General Greene’s position, including a battery of four cannon on this hill. To more precisely define the position of this artillery, researchers used a combination of historical documentation, current site topography, years of archaeological data, and “Line of Best Fit” statistical analysis. The archaeological data included accurately-mapped locations of almost 50 pieces of found iron and lead shot.
Greene's artillery was calculated to have been located somewhere along the “Line of Best Fit,” but where? To answer
this page online
The actual location of the center of the artillery line – a battery of four cannon commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Antoine Mauduit, Chevalier du Plessis – is approximately 75 feet west (left) of this exhibit.
( image captions )
— Detailed section from the 1778 map by Michel Capitaine du Chesnoy, cartographer to the Marquis de Layfayette, showing approximate location of Greene’s artillery battery.
— The exact locations of found ammunition, represented here by yellow and blue circles, provided the raw data for the Line of Best Fit statistical analysis. The red line on this illustration is the calculated “Line of Best Fit.” The blue cone represents the spread of the shot.
— When the results of the research and calculations were overlaid onto Capitaine’s map, the accuracy of this section of the 1778 map is evident.
Credits
Images: Eric D. Sivilich & Daniel M. Sivilich, 2015: Surveying, Statistics, and Spatial Mapping. Reprinted with permission from Historical Archaeology 49(2):50-71.
Archaeology: Battlefield Restoration and Archaeological Volunteer Organization (BRAVO)
Surveying and Statistical Analysis: NJ Institute of Technology Senior Project by Eric D. Sivilich
NJ
Photographed by Richard Peterson, June 28, 2025
2. Locating the Continental Artillery on Combs Hill Marker
State Park Service
In Memory of Marylou Iovino, Ed Lynch, Bill Rainaud, and Jodi Swain, members of the Battlefield Restoration and Archaeological Volunteer Organization (BRAVO)
This exhibit funded by their family and friends
Erected by NJ Department of Environmental Protection.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is June 28, 1778.
Location. 40° 15.841′ N, 74° 19.135′ W. Marker is in Manalapan Township, New Jersey, in Monmouth County. It can be reached from Business New Jersey Route 33 west of Wemrock Road, on the right when traveling west. Located along History Hike Trail next to the Monmouth Battlefield Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Englishtown NJ 07726, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Jersey and in the New York City Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Molly Pitcher (within shouting distance of this marker); Monmouth Battlefield State Park (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); D’Annae: A French, Swedish-Style 4-pounder (about 300 feet away); Monmouth Battlefield (about 300 feet away); General von Steuben (about 400 feet away); Combs Hill Cannonade (about 400 feet away); Mary Hays, nicknamed “Molly Pitcher" (approx. ¼ mile away); Battle at the Parsonage (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manalapan Township.
Also see . . .
1. Monmouth Battlefield State Park: Combs Hill Walking Tour #1 – Hedgerow & Parsonage Trail.
This position is where, about halfway through the artillery duel Major General Nathaniel Greene positioned 4 Continental cannons under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Chevalier du Plessis-Mauduit. This location put the British in a crossfire between the 10 or more cannon with Washington and these four. This forced Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton and the British Army to withdraw.(Submitted on August 30, 2026, by Richard Peterson of East Windsor, New Jersey.)
2. Battle of Monmouth (Wikipedia).
The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near the Village of Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey and Manalapan, on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, commanded by General George Washington, against the British Army in North America, commanded by General Sir Henry Clinton. It was the last battle of the Philadelphia campaign, begun the previous year, during which the British had inflicted two major defeats on Washington and occupied Philadelphia.(Submitted on September 5, 2026, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2026, by Richard Peterson of East Windsor, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 30, 2026, by Richard Peterson of East Windsor, New Jersey. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
