Battle of Iron Works Hill
Battle of Iron Works Hill | |
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Part of the Mount Holly, New Jersey 39°59′42″N 74°47′13″W / 39.99500°N 74.78694°W | |
Result | See aftermath |
Hesse-Kassel
The Battle of Iron Works Hill, also known as the Battle of Mount Holly, was a series of minor skirmishes that took place on December 22 and 23, 1776, during the
While the American force of 600 was eventually forced from their positions by the larger Hessian force, the action prevented von Donop from being in his assigned base at Bordentown, New Jersey, and in a position to assist Johann Rall's brigade in Trenton, New Jersey, when it was attacked and defeated by George Washington after his troops crossed the Delaware on the night of December 25–26, 1776.[5][6]
Background
In July 1776 forces of
General Howe established a chain of outposts across New Jersey, and ordered his troops into winter quarters. The southernmost outposts were located at
As the troops of von Donop and Rall occupied the last outposts, they were often exposed to the actions of rebel raids and the actions of Patriot militia forces that either arose spontaneously or were recruited by Army regulars. These actions frayed the nerves of the troops, as the uncertainty of when and where such attacks would take place, and by what size force, put the men and their commanders on edge, leading them to jump up to investigate every rumored movement. Rall went so far as to order his men to sleep "fully dressed like [they were] on watch."[11]
One militia force that rose in December 1776 was a company under the command of
Battle
On December 21, about 600 of Griffin's troops overwhelmed a guard outpost of the 42nd located about one mile south of Blackhorse at Petticoat Bridge.
On the morning of December 23, von Donop brought about 3,000 troops (the 42nd British (Highland) Regiment and the Hessian Grenadier battalions Block and Linsing) to Petticoat Bridge where they overwhelmed Griffin's men. Griffin's troops retreated to Mount Holly where von Donop reported scattering about 1,000 men near the town's meeting house.
Aftermath
Von Donop's forces bivouacked in Mount Holly on the night of December 23, where, according to Ewald, they plundered the town, breaking into alcohol stores of abandoned houses and getting drunk.[15] Von Donop himself took quarters in the house that Ewald described as belonging to an "exceedingly beautiful widow of a doctor",[15] whose identity is uncertain.[21][22] The next day, December 24, they moved in force to drive the militia from the hill, but Griffin and his men had retreated to Moorestown during the night.[20] For whatever reason, von Donop and his contingents remained in Mount Holly, 18 miles (29 km) and a full day's march from Trenton,[23] until a messenger arrived on December 26, bringing the news of Rall's defeat by Washington that morning.[20][24]
News of the skirmishes at Mount Holly was often exaggerated. Published accounts of the day varied, including among participants in the battle. One Pennsylvanian claimed that sixteen of the enemy were killed, while a New Jersey militiaman reported seven enemy killed.[4] Both Donop and Ewald specifically denied any British or German casualties occurred during the first skirmish on December 22,[22] while the Pennsylvania Evening Post reported "several" enemy casualties with "two killed and seven or eight wounded" of the militia through the whole action.[4]
Some reporters, including Loyalist Joseph Galloway, assumed that Griffin had been specifically sent to draw von Donop away from Bordentown, but von Donop's decision to attack in force was apparently made prior to Reed's arrival. Reed noted in his journal that "this manouver [sic], though perfectly accidental, had a happy effect as it drew off Count Donop ...."[4] The planning for Washington's crossing of the Delaware did include sending a militia force to Griffin in an attack on von Donop at Mount Holly; this company failed to cross the river.[25]
Legacy
The hill that Griffin's militia occupied is located at Iron Works Park in Mount Holly. The battle is reenacted annually.[26]
Notes
- ^ a b c d Fischer 2004, p. 198.
- ^ a b Dwyer 1983, p. 211.
- ^ a b Dwyer 1983, p. 151.
- ^ a b c d e Dwyer 1983, p. 216.
- ^ Rosenfeld 2006, p. 177.
- ^ Di Ionno 2000, p. 29.
- ^ Dwyer 1983, p. 5.
- ^ Dwyer 1983, pp. 24–112.
- ^ Fischer 2004, p. 185.
- ^ Dwyer 1983, pp. 170–173.
- ^ Fischer 2004, p. 196.
- ^ Dwyer 1983, p. 213.
- ^ Hunt, December 19, 1776: "... the Soldiers had Taken our Meeing house [in Moorestown] to Lodge in ..."
- ^ Rizzo 2007, p. 80.
- ^ a b c Fischer 2004, p. 199.
- ^ Petticoat Bridge is located on the map, c. 1806, where the road leading north from Slab Town crosses the nearest creek, which is Assiscunk Creek.
- ^ Hunt, December 22, 1776: "we had a pretty good Quiet Meeting at our Meeting [in Moorestown] the Soldiers being gone"
- ^ Reed 1847, p. 273.
- ^ Dwyer 1983, pp. 214–215.
- ^ a b c Rizzo 2007, p. 82.
- ^ Fischer 2004, p. 200.
- ^ a b Dwyer 1983, p. 215.
- ^ Fischer 2004, p. 216.
- ^ Hunt, "Memorandom 24th of the 12 mo: 1776" "...but things Seemed to turn very Strange and unexpected about the 22 of the 12 mo. the two armies Met at Mount Holly and had a Scermish. the Americans were Drove out of the town and Came back to the Moorestown and by Reports the Hessians on the English party did Strip many very much at that time in Mt Holly. maybe 20 years before this Mt Holly was a Remarkably hilly favourd place but there was an Admirable Strange turn for as was Reported about the 26 of the month a very Stormy Day Some Hundreds of the Hessians or of the English party were taken Prisoners at Trentown & Brought to Phil and the Rest Drove back towards Brunswick."
- ^ Dwyer 1983, p. 241.
- ^ "Battle of Iron Works Hill reenactment". Main Street Mount Holly. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
References
- Di Ionno, Mark (2000). A Guide to New Jersey's Revolutionary War Trail: For Families and History Buffs. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2770-8.
- Dwyer, William M. (1983). The Day is Ours!. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-11446-4.
- ISBN 0-19-518159-X.
- Hunt, John (1776). John Hunt's Journal. Swarthmore, PA: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.
- Reed, William Bradford (1847). Life and Correspondence of Joseph Reed, Volume 1. Lindsay & Blakiston.
- Rizzo, Dennis (2007). Mount Holly, New Jersey: A Hometown Reinvented. The History Press. ISBN 978-1-59629-276-5.
- Rosenfeld, Lucy D. (2006). History Walks in New Jersey: Exploring the Heritage of the Garden State. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-3969-2.
Further reading
- Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of New Jersey (2007). New Jersey: A Guide to Its Present and Past. Murrieta, CA: US History Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60354-029-2.
External links