Red Bank Battlefield
Encyclopedia
The Red Bank Battlefield is located along the Delaware River
in National Park, New Jersey
. It was the location of the Battle of Red Bank
in the American Revolutionary War
on October 22, 1777. Fort Mercer
and its sister, Fort Mifflin
in Pennsylvania, defended the river and prevented the British from using it for transportation. The forts successfully delayed the British, but in the end were both destroyed or abandoned.
Parks system called Red Bank Battlefield Park.
had remained in the house during the fighting and tended to the wounded, earning her the epithet "Heroine of Red Bank."
, killed at the Battle of Princeton
on January 3, 1777.) remain. The prominent historical feature of the park is the remains of the ditch which surrounded the now-gone earthworks. Around these works and along the riverbank are several period cannons, including four raised from the wreck of the British man-of-war, HMS Augusta, and a British sloop, Merlin. The three American cannons facing the Whitall House were found in 1935 buried on the site. Nearer to the Whitall House, a preserved section of the chevaux-de-frise river defenses of the Fort Mercer and Fort Mifflin system is displayed, along with various cannonballs recovered from the battlefield. Several monuments honor the combatants, including a memorial to the fallen Hessian leader, whose remains were buried on the grounds, and a 75 feet (22.9 m)-tall monument.
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
in National Park, New Jersey
National Park, New Jersey
National Park is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, there were 3,205 residents. Despite its name, National Park is neither a national park nor associated with one.-History:...
. It was the location of the Battle of Red Bank
Battle of Red Bank
The Battle of Red Bank was a battle of the American Revolutionary War in which a Hessian force was sent to take Fort Mercer on the left bank of the Delaware River just south of Philadelphia, but was decisively defeated by a far inferior force of Colonial defenders...
in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
on October 22, 1777. Fort Mercer
Fort Mercer
Fort Mercer was one of two forts constructed in 1777 on the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War, by the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, to block the approach to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fort Mifflin, on the Pennsylvania side, and Fort Mercer, on the New...
and its sister, Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia International Airport...
in Pennsylvania, defended the river and prevented the British from using it for transportation. The forts successfully delayed the British, but in the end were both destroyed or abandoned.
Red Bank Battlefield Park
Today the site of the Battle of Red Bank is a part of the Gloucester CountyGloucester County, New Jersey
Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....
Parks system called Red Bank Battlefield Park.
James and Ann Whitall House
The central feature of the park is the James and Ann Whitall House. This structure, a brick and stone house just outside the works of Fort Mercer, served as a hospital for some of the men wounded in the fighting. The house suffered damage during the battle. Ann Cooper WhitallAnn Cooper Whitall
Ann Cooper Whitall was a prominent Quaker woman in early America.Ann Cooper was born in Woodbury, New Jersey. She married James Whitall. During the American War for Independence, Whitall stayed in her house, even though British warships were firing cannon in that direction during the Battle of...
had remained in the house during the fighting and tended to the wounded, earning her the epithet "Heroine of Red Bank."
Park features
Although much of the battlefield has eroded into the Delaware River, some portions of Fort Mercer (named after Brigadier General Hugh MercerHugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer was a soldier and physician. He initially served with British forces during the Seven Years War but later became a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a close friend to George Washington...
, killed at the Battle of Princeton
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
on January 3, 1777.) remain. The prominent historical feature of the park is the remains of the ditch which surrounded the now-gone earthworks. Around these works and along the riverbank are several period cannons, including four raised from the wreck of the British man-of-war, HMS Augusta, and a British sloop, Merlin. The three American cannons facing the Whitall House were found in 1935 buried on the site. Nearer to the Whitall House, a preserved section of the chevaux-de-frise river defenses of the Fort Mercer and Fort Mifflin system is displayed, along with various cannonballs recovered from the battlefield. Several monuments honor the combatants, including a memorial to the fallen Hessian leader, whose remains were buried on the grounds, and a 75 feet (22.9 m)-tall monument.