Celebrate America250: Battle of Monmouth

June 28, 1778. At Monmouth Court House, New Jersey, the Continental Army under Gen. Washington defeated the British under Sir Henry Clinton as it withdrew from Philadelphia to New York City in its first large-scale victory of the war.

After Gen. Horatio Gates had inflicted serious defeats on a British army at the Battles of Saratoga in September and October 1777, the French had entered the war against the British. (But Saratoga was not fought between the main armies of either the Americans or the British.) With a French fleet en route to America, Clinton decided to withdraw from Philadelphia to the more easily defended New York City in June 1778. Upon hearing of the British withdrawal, Washington decided to leave his winter encampment at Valley Forge and attack the British as they withdrew.

The Continental cause and Washington's status as commander-in-chief were both in serious doubt at this point. Clinton had inflicted major defeats on Washington in the fall of 1777 at Brandywine and Germantown. Gates, the victor at Saratoga, had been cooperating with the Conway Cabal in an effort to remove Washington as commander. And some in Congress accused Washington of not being willing to fight. Although Washington had defeated the Conway Cabal, he still needed a victory to prove his worth as commander.

Washington had used the winter at Valley Forge to train his army and to build it into a more professional force. He was aided in this effort by the Prussian Baron Friedrich von Steuben, who had spent the winter drilling American troops. Washington wanted more time to train, but he felt that politically he had to fight. So he sent Gen. Charles Lee in command of the vanguard to engage the withdrawing British while he would bring up the main body to attack the British.

When the British stopped for two days at Monmouth Court House in central New Jersey to rest due to unseasonably hot weather, Gen. Lee attacked. But he failed to give clear instructions to his forces, and they were soon in retreat. However, a vanguard of his troops stood and fought valiantly against the British, which gave Washington's main body time to come up and occupy strong defensive positions. When the British realized that Washington had occupied the high ground, they retreated, and Washington ordered an attack that inflicted heavy casualties. Fighting stopped at dark, and the British resumed their withdrawal under cover of darkness.

The battle itself was inconclusive. The British had over 1000 casualties, and the Americans only 500. Neither side was able to inflict the decisive defeat that it wished, but the Americans had mostly performed well. They took good advantage of the terrain and remained in possession of the battlefield. Washington reported the battle as an important victory, and many of his subordinates made similar reports to Congress. Gen. Lee was court-martialed for allowing a disorderly retreat and for disrespecting Washington, so Washington's main rival was removed from command. Congress voted a commendation of thanks to Washington and, for the first time, hailed him as the Father of His Country.

While the Battle of Monmouth was not decisive, the Continental Army accomplished several important things. It had bloodied the British army in a major battle. Washington's position as commander-in-chief became unassailable. With French forces soon to arrive in North America, the Continentals would no longer have to fight alone. The British would have to defend their Caribbean sugar islands, possessions in India, and even the British Isles against the French. The war was shifting decisively in favor of the Americans and their European allies.