On October 22, 1777 a Revolutionary War battle was fought just a little way down the Delaware River from our home, in Red Bank – now National Park., NJ. At that time Fort Mercer,named for Brigadier General Hugh Mercer who was killed earlier in the year at the Battle of Princeton, was located at Red Bank. Fort Mercer and its sister fort, Fort Mifflin were two forts built by Polish engineer Thadddeus Kosciuszko under the command of General George Washington. Fort Mifflin was located on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware. Here’s a map showing the location of the fort and our home……
The purpose of the forts was to block the approach to Philadelphia, which had already been occupied by British Major General William Howe. From the map it’s obvious that the location of the fort was perfect for its intended purpose!!
So back to the Battle of Red Bank that occurred on today’s date. The troops opposing the Continental defenders numbered 900 and were Hessians (maybe some Karn ancestors) serving under the command of British Major General William Howe. The defenders commanded by Colonel Christopher Greene numbered 600. The defenders repelled the attack and inflicted heavy losses on the attackers, including the loss of their commander, Colonel Carl Emil Kurt von Donop.
When the battle ended…
…..the Hessian army reported casualties of 377 killed and wounded with 20 missing or captured, while the Americans reported their losses at 14 killed and 27 wounded. Frustrated by the failure to capture Fort Mercer, Howe ordered the Hessian regiments withdrawn from New Jersey while he made plans to attack Fort Mifflin by a massive artillery bombardment
The following massive artillery bombardment became known as The Siege of Fort Mifflin or Siege of Mud Island Fort and occurred from September 26 to November 16th and resulted in the loss of the fort to the British. On November 18th Lord Cornwallis was sent with a force of 2,000 men to attack Fort Mercer. The troops landed by ferry at Billingsport three miles south of the fort. Facing overwhelming numbers and an inevitable defeat, Colonel Greene, decided to abandon the fort. Greene and his men left Fort Mercer on the 20th of November and the British troops occupied the fort the next day.
Even though Fort Mercer eventually fell into British hands, the Continental Army victory at the Battle of Red Bank….
….supplied a sorely-needed morale boost to the American cause, delayed British plans to consolidate gains in Philadelphia, and relieved pressure on General Washington’s army to the north of the city. Read More
I’ve noticed the sign for the Red Bank Battlefield on our weekly trips to Paulsboro to visit my son Andrew and his family. Now that I know what happened at the site, I really want to stop and check it out. Years ago, I visited Fort Mifflin but I can’t remember why I had gone there! I’ll try to think about it and if and when I remember I’ll let you know!!