Battle Of Monmouth Facts For Kids: Summary, Outcome, Dates & More

The Battle of Monmouth was fought in 1778.

It was orchestrated to victory by General George Washington. The army of General George Washington defeated the British army.

The battle was recorded to be a prominent event in American history and was part of the American Revolutionary War. But what was the significance of the Monmouth battle? Who won the Battle of Monmouth eventually? Get the answers to these questions as you keep reading.

Why was the Battle of Monmouth important?

The Battle proved to be a major factor for the American Revolutionary War. The battle was a prominent example of American strength and will.

The battle took place in New Jersey on June 28, 1778 against the British army. The battle is also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House. The Battle of Monmouth was preceded by the Battle of Saratoga.

The Battle of Saratoga was the decisive moment for the Revolutionary War. The French understood that the American army was strong. They were sure of this and decided to support the Americans for further battles.

The Battle of Monmouth happened on a Sunday at Monmouth, New Jersey in the United States of America. During this time, the British forces were supported by the German soldiers and were collectively led by Sir Henry Clinton. This battle was the last and longest battle fought in the American Revolutionary War.

The battle was also the last major battle of the Philadelphia campaign that had been going on since 1777. The British army, along with the German army, was lead by Lieutenant General Clinton along with his fellow companions Lord Cornwallis and Major-General Kynphausen.

The American army was commanded by General George Washington and General Charles Lee. General Wayne and General Greene also took part. The British troops consisted of 10,000 soldiers for the battle.

The American army, also known as the Continental army, was made up of 11,000 soldiers. The uniform donned by the British troops was red coats and caps. Caps were subjective of the functions of the men in the British infantry: grenadiers wore a bearskin cap; the battalion wore tricorne caps, and light infantry wore normal caps.

The American troops were donned in mainly blue or brown uniform. Both armies were equipped with muskets. But the British army carried bayonets exclusively.

The members of the Continental army were trained by Steuben to counterattack bayonets. General George Washington trained the Continental army in the Valley Forge. The training of the American forces was supervised by Steuben in the winters of 1777-78.

To counter the bayonets, the American army underwent a six-month training in the Valley Forge during the winters. The British artillery was formerly trained by Lieutenant-General Howe, but he returned to England and was substituted by Henry Clinton.

Clinton's army was ordered to leave Philadelphia and move towards New York.

Henry Clinton was also ordered to send 5,000 men from his troop to fight the French in the West Indies. Clinton's army halted at Monmouth after he got the news that General Gates of the American forces was planning an ambush on them.

General Gates, at that time, was marching from the Hudson River Valley to stop the British troops. Clinton decided to halt the march to New York and change his route to the coastal side to travel by ship.

The actual battle map is huge and covers a lot of areas apart from the Monmouth Court House area.

The main battle was fought in Monmouth, but this was preceded by many small battles conducted by the generals on both sides. Therefore, the Battle of Monmouth map is spread across long distances.

Battle Of Monmouth Summary

The total story of the battle is filled with both right and wrong decisions that resulted in a long battle that bore some heavy long-term consequences. Keep reading to learn more essential facts about the battle.

While marching towards New York city, Henry Clinton was alerted about the tiring troops who were not able to cover the distance on foot. He was also alarmed about the movement of General Gates coming from the Hudson River Valley to ambush the British.

George Washington ordered his army to interrupt the withdrawal of the British. Washington sent an advance force consisting of 4,000 American troops to attack the British and cut them in half.

The leadership of this assault was handed over to General Charles Lee by George Washington. Charles Lee was reluctant in the beginning to take up the task.

George Washington increased the number of men for the American troops to 5,000 and handed it over to Marquis de Lafayette. Upon learning about the increased number of the American army, Charles Lee persisted in going forward with the mission and leading the American artillery.

Charles Lee was ordered to attack the British column in flanks in a way that the Continental army could come and battle them.

It was a very hot day on June 28, 1778, so Mary Ludwig Hayes supplied water to the American army during the battle. She was also known as Molly Pitcher.

During one time, when she came to supply water to the army, Molly Pitcher found her husband to be dead. She picked up his gun and started firing at the British.

Washington ordered Charles Lee to attack the British flanks and delay their movement so that George Washington could arrive with his army. But Lee was unable to provide the proper orders to his troops, which resulted in a confused fight.

Ultimately, Lee ordered his army to fall back and retreat to the main American line. This incident was used for profit by Henry Clinton, and he ordered the British soldiers to pursue the retreating Continental troops.

As Washington arrived at the Monmouth Court House in New Jersey, he saw Charles Lee retreating with his army as the British column pursued. Washington began to take control of the disordered troops and made an American attack.

Washington's army started to gather up and hold the British advance so as to make time for a proper attack. Washington rallied forward and ordered General Anthony Wayne to hold the British advance.

Later on, Cornwallis instigated a full-on attack against the regiments controlled by General Greene. The British pushed the Continental troops, but were unsuccessful, as the American army pulled out a musket fire on them on Comb's Hill.

At that very time, George Washington pulled a full-on counterattack on the British and made them retreat. The British retreated to Sandy Hook, where they rested for some time.

Henry Clinton then ordered the army to escape with the help of the Royal Navy, and they retreated to Manhattan. George Washington decided not to pursue them any more and took his army northward to join the Hudson River camp.

Who won the Battle Of Monmouth?

The Battle of Monmouth is considered to be a draw by historians, but in the long-term, Americans profited the most from this battle. This battle was an engagement between American forces and British forces.

The Battle of Monmouth happened about a year before the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 1783. American forces had higher casualty rates than the British army, but they won over Clinton's army and forced them to retreat.

The Battle of Monmouth also had a significant impact on the course of the American Revolution, because it proved that Americans could win major battles against British artillery even without strong foreign support.

American forces gained confidence in their abilities after winning this battle, which led to success later in the war. British regulars lost momentum in their attacks on America after being defeated in the Battle of Monmouth, which allowed time for French entry into the American Revolutionary War.

The Battle of Monmouth was memorialized as a victory for Americans in the American Revolution.

After the battle was over, it was evident that Charles Lee would face heavy punishment for his lack of order during the war. George Washington was furious and ordered for the court-martial of Charles Lee. The Battle of Monmouth date has been highlighted in American history as it paved a way for strengthening the troops.

How long did the Battle of Monmouth last?

The battle is considered to be the longest war in the Philadelphia campaign. The war had been planned for a long time and ended on June 28, 1778. The actual battle in Monmouth lasted for around four hours.

The British suffered casualties ranging up to about 300 men that day. Whereas, the American army faced casualties of about 350 men. It is believed that almost 100 of these men died because of heatstroke, as the temperature was very high.

Even the horse of Washington had a heatstroke and collapsed. Many men were captured as prisoners on both sides of the battle.

Washington was highly appreciated after the battle and many of his colleagues admitted that Washington fought with an angelic attitude and power. The British column fled to New York, so basically it was a tie for both the forces as they had achieved what they were fighting for.

Although the whole operation lasted for more than 24 hours, most of the time was used to strategize, and if defeated, to flee the battlefield and retreat to their respective stations.