As you read this, American and British soldiers are marching across central New Jersey. Don’t worry, this time around the British are not coming here to burn down homes or kill residents.
They are coming as part of the Crossroads of the Revolution pro-ject that will culminate Saturday and Sunday at Monmouth Battle-field State Park, Manalapan, when more than 2,000 re-enactors present a recreation of the Battle of Monmouth, set up 18th-century army camps for tours and present living history programs.
June 28 will be 225 years to the day since the Battle of Mon-mouth — the longest land artil-lery battle of the Revolution — was fought in present day Manal-apan and Freehold Township.
The battle began at about 10 a.m. and continued for more than seven hours, making it one of the longest battles of the Revolution. By 5:30 p.m., the British had retreated and the firing ceased. At dawn on the following day, Wash-ington moved fresh troops forward to resume the battle, but the British forces had slipped away during the night to continue their journey to New York City.
Historians believe the Battle of Monmouth was a political triumph for the Continental Army and Washington. The Continental Army had met the British in open field, held their own and forced them to retreat. It was their first victory in two years.
This weekend’s activities will recall the sacrifices made by soldiers doing their duty — as American soldiers continue to do their duty today in nations far from home.
History surrounds us and many people work hard to make it available and to give it meaning; it’s up to the rest of us to make the effort to appreciate what has gone before and the meaning it has on our lives today.