Parade to honor
heroes of Battle of Monmouth
Route of Friday’s event
to start in Englishtown
and end in Freehold
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
Hedgerow at Monmouth Battlefield
With the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Monmouth only days away, the June 27 parade to mark the occasion promises to be an historic event, not to be missed.
"This was the American path of the Battle of Monmouth," said Jayne Carr, executive director of the Freehold Center Partnership, Freehold Borough, sponsor of the parade.
There will be four locations for parking along the route. They are the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education offices at Main and Pine streets, Englishtown (access from Gordons Corner Road); the Manalapan municipal building, Taylors Mills Road and Route 522; Manalapan High School, Church Lane, (access from Tennent Road); Old Tennent Presbyterian Church, (access from Craig Road through the cemetery); and Lafayette Place parking lot, off Court Street, Freehold Borough.
The Village Inn, Water Street, Englishtown, will be the initial site for the parade. Breakfast will be served at 10 a.m. Friday. The inn will be open to tour.
The Village Inn
"The Village Inn was constructed in the 1740s," said Rich Walling, president of the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield.
Walling said at the time of the Battle of Monmouth (June 1778), the owner had died and there is no record of who the tavern keeper was.
"However, we do have two accounts from the journals and the court-martial of Charles Lee, that places Lee in that building during the Battle of Monmouth once he was relieved of his command," said Walling. "Actually, he was sent back from the battlefield to Englishtown to pick up the troops."
Lee was court-martialed on three charges: failing to obey orders, conducting a disorderly and shameful retreat, and disrespect for the commanding officer, Walling said.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Eventually, Lee demanded a court martial to clear his name, while Washington was at first willing to forget about it, Walling said. Then Washington offered an informal hearing, but Lee demanded his court martial, and so Washington arrested Lee and a court martial was held.
Carl Closs, of Kennett Square, Pa., aka George Washington, will attend a breakfast from 10-11 a.m, after which an opening ceremony will take place.
Brief welcoming remarks will be made by George Washington, New Jersey Secretary of the State Regena Thomas, Monmouth County Freeholder Ted Narozanick and the Rev. Dr. Hugh MacKenzie of the Old Tennent Presbyterian Church, said Carr.
Washington will mount his horse, Royal Blue, a gray-white Arabian owned by Teri Summers of the Royal Blue Farms, and lead the parade to Freehold. Two horse-drawn carts will follow with a militia of walkers joining the parade. Militia will continue to come on at all points during the 5-mile march.
Heading down the street, marchers will arrive at 7 Main St.
The Englishtown Grist Mill was located by the side of Lake Weamaconk. The site can be found behind the house at 7 Main St.
"Years ago there was a grist mill at the corner of my property next to the stream," said Kathleen Bien. "What’s left of that is a fieldstone foundation. Right now it’s covered over by ivy, bushes and brush. The building is no longer there."
Bien said Life Scout Corey Riggs has been working toward his Eagle Scout rank and was planning to clean up the site.
Monmouth County Historical Association Museum
"It will be great for the people to know that this part of history was covered over for a long time," said Bien. "That’s a neat thing to have it unearthed and restored so that everyone can enjoy the history."
Sharp’s Mill, according to author James S. Brown, who wrote Manalapan in Three Centuries, dates back to 1778. However, Walling said the exact date of construction may not be known.
"The grist mill was there by the time of the battle," Walling said. "It was known as Sharp’s Mill at the time of the revolution. Sharp was a resident of Salem County, so it might have been just a business venture on his part."
In the 20th century, the mill became a power station and was later demolished.
Old Tennent Church steeple
The parade will proceed back to Route 522 and head toward Freehold.
The Manalapan Arboretum, the next stop at about 12:30 p.m., will be a break for lunch and drinks, which will be served under tents by Manalapan employees and volunteers in front of the municipal building.
After a hearty lunch paraders will continue on Route 522 where they will pass the original road taken by Washington’s troops, which turns up Church Lane. However, the parade will continue on Route 522 east.
"From Church Lane (on Route 522) to Freehold Borough is a new road which was laid out in the 1800s," said Walling. "The original colonial road which the troops used was Church Road. During the battle, Lafayette’s men were ordered to fall back, because they believed the British were flanking them on the northern part of the battlefield. There was a tremendous amount of troop activity here before and during the battle."
At Old Tennent Church, Tennent Road, paraders who arrive at about 1:30 p.m. will hear a speech, given by George Washington.
"Tennent Church was a very important community structure at the time," said Walling. "The building we see today was the same building that was there at the time of the battle. Much of the woodwork is the original, both exterior and interior."
Tennent Church was within close proximity, about 1 mile, to the British scouts who were located at the hedgerow area, the boundary between Freehold and Manalapan townships.
"During the battle, Lee’s men advanced into Freehold Borough and a few hours later Washington’s men advanced, using the same road out of Englishtown," Walling said.
It was at Tennent Church that several of Washington’s aides, including Alexander Hamilton, Major Mead and Richard Kidder Meade, told Washington what they saw and what was going on regarding Lee, Walling said.
The church cupola was used as a lookout tower during the battle.
During the battle the church and several area buildings were used as military field hospitals.
"There are pews inside that are not only stained with blood, but there are also pews that are cut with amputation saws," Walling said. "The seats of the pews have saw blade (marks) cut in as they were cutting the limbs off."
A mass grave of American soldiers was discovered just outside the front entrance of the church. There were also at least 200 Americans wounded, and about 40 badly wounded British soldiers who were left behind, Walling said.
"They were either killed in the battle or they died of their wounds," he said.
The church sanctuary will be open to the public and George Washington will give a speech on freedom of religion in the 1700s.
There are no individual tombstones of soldiers killed during the battle, but there is a commemorative marker for Col. Henry Monckton, commander of the second battalion of British Grenadiers, who was killed on the afternoon of June 28. Monckton was given a full military burial, with honors, by the Americans, at Tennent Church.
Stories that have been handed down tell of bullet holes remaining in the facade of the church.
Continuing east on Route 522, Molly Pitcher’s well is located near the border of Manalapan and Freehold townships.
"We’re all familiar with the legend of Molly Pitcher, based upon the exploits of a real person," said Walling. "But, with the need to have a legendary heroine, at least six local farmers have identified a well or spring that they believed was Molly’s. About 70 years ago, local people built a decorative well that still stands on Route 522 along the railroad tracks."
St. Peter’s Church, Throck-morton Street, Freehold, also served as a battle hospital.
"St. Peter’s Episcopal Church is a colonial building that predates the American Revolution," Walling said. "We’re not sure if it had a steeple or not, because we do not have any early images of it."
The church as seen today has been modified and expanded, Walling said. Since the church was an Episcopal church, meaning that it was a Church of England or Anglican Church, the British soldiers did not damage the church.
Walling said other churches and homes in Freehold were destroyed, but the Episcopal church went untouched, out of respect.
The British used St. Peter’s as a field hospital during the battle. Walling noted that the British left those who had been most severely wounded behind at St. Peter’s. This included 44 privates and a number of officers.
The new Liberty Triumphant Park, next to the Monmouth County Hall of Records Annex, Main Street, Freehold, will see the unveiling of the original Liberty Triumphant statue that at one time sat atop the Battle of Monmouth Monument, Court Street.
Paraders are expected to arrive between 3:30-4 p.m. at Liberty Triumphant Park. George Washington will deliver a 13-star flag to go up, along with an American flag that will fly permanently at the park.
The Monmouth County Historical Association Museum, 70 Court St., Freehold, will be the last stop on the parade route. An exhibit on the Battle of Monmouth will be open to the public.
"Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Manalapan and Englishtown have taken the challenge very seriously in highlighting this historic date in history along with the historic treasures that are locally here in our back yards," said Carr. "We have been working with the boards of education who have incorporated our event into their curriculum along with a poster contest, which will be displayed in the local businesses for advertising.
"We are working with the Scouts, the YMCA and the local recreation departments, all of which will be busing children to participate in the parade. One of our strong focuses has been to involve as many children as possible. This is a golden opportunity for them to learn history in a hands-on manner," Carr said.