Thousands relive history on eve of battle

Community celebrates
the history found

By jamie dougher
Staff Writer

Community celebrates
the history found
‘in its own back yard’
By jamie dougher
Staff Writer


JEFF GRANIT Sights like this one were as common Friday at the historic Dey Farm on Old Church Road as they were 225 years ago to the day when Colonial troops passed through Monroe on their way to the Battle of Monmouth.JEFF GRANIT Sights like this one were as common Friday at the historic Dey Farm on Old Church Road as they were 225 years ago to the day when Colonial troops passed through Monroe on their way to the Battle of Monmouth.

Five-year-old Tyler Sosnak gaped at the massive beast towering above him and tentatively asked its rider, "Are you real?"

"Of course I’m real," the horseman answered with a gleam in his eye.

Revolutionary War re-enactors on horseback were just one of the sights area residents were treated to Friday at "The Eve of the Battle of Monmouth" events held at the Dey Farm Historic Site, Old Church Road. The troops, under the command of Gen. George Washington and Capt. James Monroe, spent the night in Monroe before continuing on "The Road to Monmouth" for a battle re-enactment in Manalapan the next day.

The events were organized to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Monmouth. In Monroe, June 27 marked the anniversary of the night when thousands of Colonial soldiers arrived via Cranbury and camped near Union Valley, Gravel Hill and Hoffman Station roads. Those soldiers marched into battle the next day.

Jeff and Debbie Sosnak brought their three sons to the event to offer them a taste of hometown history.

"We came to show them history in their own back yard," said Jeff Sosnak, a history buff. "You don’t have to travel out of state or even out of the county to see something important."

Debbie Sosnak said that even though Monroe is a burgeoning community with increasing development, it still harbors elements of the township’s history within its borders — notably the 180-year-old barn and historic farmhouse and outbuildings on the Charles Dey Farm.

"It’s nice that they have something historical that hasn’t been knocked down," she said.

Monroe Township historian John Katerba coordinated the "Eve of the Battle" activities with the members of the Monroe Township Historical Commission, including event Chairwoman Marcia Kirkpatrick and several other volunteers. They spoke in a welcoming ceremony with Mayor Richard Pucci and township Councilmen Hank Miller and Irwin Nalitt.

"We tried to make the day a celebration of the encampment," Katerba said, adding that it also serves as a way to congratulate the efforts of everyone involved in the process of restoring the Dey farmhouse, which opened for the first time.

"I see a lot of smiles on people’s faces," he said. "It’s very, very pleasing to see people really looking at the displays."

Paul Lucey, a member of the historic commission, led packed buses on three tours throughout the day Friday to view landmarks that are related to the Colonial troops’ passage through what is now Monroe.

The bus weaved through the township, passing the former site of the John Anderson House, Hoffman Station Road, where Washington stayed the night that the troops camped in Monroe, as well as the site of the encampment, a 30-acre parcel at Union Valley and Gravel Hill roads, among other sites.

Friday’s event also featured re-enactors portraying figures such as Washington, James Monroe and Molly Pitcher, who spoke about the lives of the women who followed their husbands into battle.

David Emerson, an historian and historic interpreter from Burlington, represented Washington.

Capt. James Monroe was portrayed by John Catalfumo of Kent, N.Y., who said a typical schedule for him and his troops — who traveled across the state last week as part of "The Road to Monmouth" — would start when they assemble at each town’s barn around 7 or 8 a.m. and head out to the day’s activities. Catalfumo said that except for a one-night stay in a Ramada Inn, his cavalry spent the nights much like troops in the Revolutionary War — on the firm ground of a barn floor, next to the horses.

Katerba said he hoped the event opened some people’s eyes to the historical presence of parts of Monroe.

"We have a lot of history here and people aren’t aware of it," he said.

One man who is certainly aware of Monroe’s history is resident Gary Clayton. He said he had a vested interest in the event because his family name appeared on a number of historical items on display, including a sack of potatoes placed in the barn among cultivators and other farm tools. Clayton said his family can be traced directly to the township through the late 1800s, perhaps even further back. His grandfather owned a farm near the Dey property.

"This is sort of the heart of Monroe Township down here," he said. "It’s authentic but rapidly disappearing. It’s kind of nice to see farmland and open fields in central New Jersey."