Monmouth Campaign

“If we suffer the enemy to pass through the Jerseys without attempting anything upon them, I think we shall ever regret it… People expect something from us & our strength demands it.”

– Major General Nathanael Greene to George Washington, Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, 1778

June 1778—the third year of the American Revolution.

General George Washington and his Continental Army are ready to emerge from a harsh winter at Valley Forge. They’re stronger than ever thanks to rigorous training conducted there by Prussian army veteran Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. As Washington’s army trained through the harsh winter of 1777-78, the French officially gave their support to the new United States--and their troops, money, and guns. The British also made a choice—abandon their occupation of Philadelphia, regroup in New York City, and prepare to win the war in the south.

Washington saw an opportunity to test his troops’ new discipline by intercepting the British Army in its retreat out of Philadelphia on their way to New York City. When the two armies finally met in Monmouth, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, the gloves were off. Though the results of the battle were inconclusive, it was here at the Battle of Monmouth that the patriots exchanged their harsh winter for the suffocating heat of battle. Everyone now began to wonder: have the British finally met their match?

The answer to that question began formulating well before the long, hot summer of 1778. For Washington’s Continental Army, the road to Monmouth began the winter before, at Valley Forge—where intelligence came across Washington’s desk that set the entire campaign in motion. From December 1777 through June 1778, the weary Continental Army—over 10,000 soldiers—survived not only the harsh winter but illness, malnourishment, and the strict training of Baron von Steuben. At Valley Forge, soldiers drilled in ragged uniforms with frozen feet, retraining in lock step. 17-year old Joseph Plumb Martin was among them, spending the winter, in his words, “in such a weak, starved and naked condition.” But the hardships and hard work paid off. The Continental Army emerged transformed and battle-ready.

From his headquarters at Valley Forge, Washington received intelligence through his spy network that British Lieutenant General Henry Clinton was about to evacuate the British Army out of Philadelphia—just under 30 miles away—to regroup at New York City. On June 18, 1778 American Major General Charles Lee and an advance group of patriot forces set out from Valley Forge to the Delaware River.

Washington’s orders: catch Clinton’s force in route to New York City.