Battle of Monmouth painting shows George Washington rallying his men while an embarrassed Charles Lee waits nearby.

The Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778 saw a colonial American army under Major General George Washington fight a British army led by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton. After evacuating Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 18, Clinton intended to march his 13,000-man army to New York City. Washington sent 6,400 troops commanded by Major General Charles Lee to attack the British column of march near Monmouth Court House, New Jersey. When Clinton counterattacked, Lee ordered his badly deployed troops to fall back immediately. Washington brought up 7,000 men to support Lee's withdrawing wing and held his ground against repeated British assaults. That evening Clinton retreated from the field and continued his march to Sandy Hook, where the British fleet waited to ferry his army to New York. Both armies' casualties were about even in the last major battle in the northern colonies. Lee was court martialed for his behavior during the battle.^[1]

British order of battle

Sir Henry Clinton

Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton (est. 18,000 - 19,000)^[2]

• Staff:
  • Adjutant General: Lieutenant Colonel Francis Lord Rawdon
  • Deputy Adjutant General: Major Stephen Kemble, Captain George Hutchinson
  • Assistant Adjutant General: Lieutenant James Cramond
  • Quartermaster General: Brigadier General Sir William Erskine
  • Royal Artillery Commander: Brigadier General James Pattison
  • Senior Engineer Officer: Captain John Montresor (Absent)
  • Aide-de-Camp: Major Duncan Drummond, Captains William Sutherland, Lord William Cathcart, William Crosbie, Alexander von Wilmowsky, Ernst von Munchhausen
  • Military Secretary: Captain John Smith
  • Deputy Inspector General of Provincial Forces: Captain Henry Rooke
  • Deputy Muster-Master of Provincial Forces: Andrew Bell

2nd Division

Wilhelm von Knyphausen

The 2nd Division was commanded by Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen and comprised 8,229 combat troops and 1,394 noncombatants.^[10] While the 1st Division fought at Monmouth Court House, the 2nd Division proceeded with the 1,500 wagons of the baggage train towards Middletown. It endured only light harassment from American militia along the way.^[11]

Unit	Commander	Strength	Notes
17th Light Dragoons	Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Birch	333	British foot regiments each contained a company of light infantry, but during the American Revolutionary War these were detached to form the separate Light Infantry Battalion.[4]
2nd Battalion Light Infantry	Lieutenant Colonel John Maitland	799
Jäger Korps	Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig von Wurmb
Hessian Jägers		701	Of the Hessian Jägers, 37 were mounted and 664 were infantry.[12]
Anspach Chasseurs		92
1st Brigade	Major General James Grant
4th (King's Own) Regiment of Foot	Lieutenant Colonel James Ogilvie	321
23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welsh Fusiliers):	Lieutenant Colonel Nesbitt Balfour	432
28th Regiment of Foot:	Lieutenant Colonel Robert Prescott	313
49th Regiment of Foot:	Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Calder	372
2nd Brigade	Major General James Grant
5th Regiment of Foot	Major George Harris(?)	367
10th Regiment of Foot	Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith	135
27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot	Lieutenant Colonel Edward Mitchell	340
40th Regiment of Foot	Lieutenant Colonel Sir Thomas Musgrave	322
55th Regiment of Foot	Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Cuyler	268
Stirn's Brigade	Major General Johann Daniel Stirn
Leib Infantry Regiment	Colonel Friedrich W. von Wurmb	573
Infantry-Regiment von Donop	Colonel David von Gosen	580
Loos's Brigade	Colonel Johann August von Loos
Fusilier Regiment von Alt Lossberg	Colonel Johann August von Loos	276	Grenadier Regiment von Woellworth was distributed between the two Fusilier regiments.[13]
Fusilier Regiment von Knyphausen	Major Johann Friedrich von Stein	253
Grenadier Regiment von Woellworth		257
Provincial Infantry
Guides and pioneers	Captain Simon Fraser	206
Roman Catholic Volunteers	Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Clifton	207
Maryland Loyalists	Lieutenant Colonel James Chambers	370
Pennsylvania Loyalists	Lieutenant Colonel William Allen	168
New Jersey Volunteers	Lieutenant Colonel John Van Dyke	211
Bucks County Volunteers	Captain William Thomas	76
Provincial Horse
Philadelphia Light Dragoons	Captain Richard Hovenden	116
Bucks County Light Dragoons	Lieutenant Walter Willet	60
Provincial Recruits
3rd Battalion of New Jersey Volunteers		17
Caledonian Volunteers	Captain William Sutherland	9
Volunteers of Ireland	Lieutenant Colonel Francis Lord Rawdon	16
Emmericks Chasseurs	Captain Christian Huck	11
Noncombatants
Black pioneers	Captain Allen Stewart	49	The quantity shown for women represents the official figure of those granted permission to accompany the army. Because many women who were supposed to have been transported from Philadelphia by sea chose to accompany the army overland, the actual number was greater.[6]
Paymaster's guard and suite		10
Lieutenant Colonel Rawdon's guard and suite		3
Deputy Inspector General of Provincial Forces	Captain Henry Rooke	3
Quartermaster General Department	Sir William Erskine	494
Engineer's Department		138
Bridgemaster's Department		21
Royal Artillery Company of Conductors and Artificers		51
Surgeons etc.		19
Sick and attendants of general hospital		134
Provost Martial, guard, prisoners and criminals		57
Refugees		91
Women		318
Children		6

American order of battle

George Washington

General George Washington (est. 15,000 - 16,000)^[14]
{Curly Brackets indicate Brigade/Regimental/Battalion Strength}

• Staff:
  • Quartermaster General: Major General Nathanael Greene
  • Inspector General: Major General: Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
  • Senior Artillery Officer: Brigadier General Henry Knox
  • Senior Engineer Officer: Brigadier General Louis Lebègue Duportail
  • Adjutant General: Colonel Alexander Scammell
  • Commissary Generals: Colonels Jeremiah Wadsworth and Clement Biddle
  • Judge Advocate General: Colonel John Lawrence
  • Military Secretary: Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Harrison
  • Assistant Secretary: James McHenry
  • Aide-de-Camp: Lieutenant Colonels John Fitzgerald, Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens and Richard Meade
  • Volunteer Aides-de-Camp: Brigadier Generals Joseph Reed and John Cadwalader

Vanguard

Marquis de La Fayette

The vanguard was commanded by Major General Charles Lee and comprised approximately 4,540 troops.^[15]

• Staff:
  • Acting Adjutant General: Lieutenant Colonel John Brooks
  • Aide-de-camp: Captains John Francis Mercer and Evan Edwards
  • Senior Artillery Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Eleazer Oswald
  • Deputy Inspector: Jean Baptiste Ternant
  • Advisers: Brigadier General David Forman and Colonel Marquis François de Malmedy

Unit	Commander	Strength	Notes
Scott's Brigade	Colonel William Grayson	600
Combined 4th, 8th and 12th Virginia Regiments*	Colonel William Grayson
Grayson's and Patton's Additional Continental Regiments	Lieutenant Colonel John Parke
Company, Crane's Artillery Regiment	Captain Thomas Wells	2 guns
Varnum's Brigade	Colonel John Durkee	300–350
Combined 4th and 8th Connecticut Regiments	Colonel John Durkee
Combined 1st and 2nd Rhode Island Regiments	Lieutenant Colonel Jeremeiah Olney
Company, Crane's Artillery Regiment	Captain David Cook	2 guns
Wayne's Detachment	Brigadier General Anthony Wayne*	1,000	Commanded by Major General the Marquis de Lafayette during the morning attack on the British rearguard.
Livingston's Battalion	Colonel Henry Beekman Livingston		Picked men (elite, ad hoc light infantry battalions formed by taking the best troops from across all regiments).[16]
Stewart's Battalion	Colonel Walter Stewart
Wesson's Battalion	Colonel James Wesson
Company, Crane's Artillery Regiment	Captain Thomas Seward	2 guns
Scott's Detachment	Brigadier General Charles Scott	1,440
Cilley's Battalion	Colonel Joseph Cilley		Picked men
Parker's Battalion	Colonel Richard Parker
Butler's Battalion*	Colonel Richard Butler
Gist's Battalion	Colonel Nathaniel Gist[17]
Artillery		4 guns	Unit not known
Jackson's Detachment*	Colonel Henry Jackson	200–300
Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment	Colonel Henry Jackson
Henley's Additional Continental Regiment	Unknown
Lee's Additional Continental Regiment	Unknown
New Jersey Brigade	Brigadier General William Maxwell	1,000
1st New Jersey Regiment	Colonel Matthias Ogden
2nd New Jersey Regiment	Colonel Israel Shreve
3rd New Jersey Regiment	Colonel Elias Dayton
4th New Jersey Regiment	Lieutenant Colonel David Brearley
Independent artillery company	Captain Thomas Randall	2 guns
New Jersey Militia Light Horse	Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Walton White
Somerset County Light Horse	Captain John Stryker
Middlesex County Light Horse	Captain Robert Nixon

* Lee reshuffled his troops before launching his attack on the British rearguard, and put Wayne in charge of a detachment comprising Grayson's combined Virginia regiments, Butler's battalion and Jackson's detachment. Lafayette took over command of Wayne's original detachment.^[18][19]

Main line of defenses

Nathanael Greene

Unit	Commander	Strength	Notes
Learned's Brigade	Colonel John Bailey (probable)	373
2nd Massachusetts Regiment	Colonel John Bailey
8th Massachusetts Regiment	Colonel Michael Jackson
9th Massachusetts Regiment	Colonel James Wesson*
Glover's Brigade	Unknown	636
1st Massachusetts Regiment	Colonel Joseph Vose
4th Massachusetts Regiment	Colonel William Shepard
13th Massachusetts Regiment	Colonel Edward Wigglesworth
15th Massachusetts Regiment	Colonel Timothy Bigelow
Huntington's Brigade	Brigadier General Jedediah Huntington	632
1st and 7th Connecticut Regiments	Colonel Hernan Swift
2nd and 5th Connecticut Regiments	Colonel Philip Burr Bradley
Poor's Brigade	Brigadier General Enoch Poor	754
1st New Hampshire Regiment	Colonel Joseph Cilley*
2nd New Hampshire Regiment	Lieutenant Colonel George Reid
3rd New Hampshire Regiment	Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dearborn*
2nd New York Regiment	Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt
4th New York Regiment	Colonel Henry Beekman Livingston*
Artillery	Brigadier General Henry Knox	10–12 guns
* Detached from their regiments to lead detachments of picked men.
Source: Lender & Stone 2016 pp. 457–458

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

• Bilby, Joseph G.; Jenkins, Katherine Bilby (2010). Monmouth Court House: The Battle That Made the American Army. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59416-108-7.
• Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-24913-1.
• Heitman, Francis Bernard (1914). Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution. Washington, D.C.: Rare Book Shop Publishing Company.
• Johnson, Curt (1975). Battles of the American Revolution. London: Rand McNally & Company. ISBN 0-528-81022-7.
• Lender, Mark Edward; Stone, Garry Wheeler (2016). Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-5335-3.
• Martin, David G., Millman, Leonard, Smith, Eric Lee. Battle of Monmouth: The Colonies take the Offensive war game. New York, NY: Simulations Publications, Inc., 1982.
• Morrissey, Brendan (2008). Monmouth Courthouse 1778: The last great battle in the North. Long Island City, N.Y.: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-772-7.
• McGuire, Thomas J. (2006). The Philadelphia Campaign, Volume I. Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0178-6.
• McGuire, Thomas J. (2007). The Philadelphia Campaign, Volume II. Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0206-5.
• revolutionarywar101.com American Revolutionary War Units
• ushistory.org Regiments at Valley Forge