“A Detatchment of 1500 Pick’d men was taken to Day from the army …”

Troop Formations Detached from Washington’s Army Prior to the Battle of Monmouth, June 1778
(Most of which formed the Advance Force commanded by Maj. Gen. Charles Lee)

John U. Rees
(based on work by Garry Stone & Mark Lender, Jan. 1993, rev. April 2003)

A typical Continental soldier wearing a military cocked hat, regimental coat, breeches, and
carrying a blanket sling (tumpline) in lieu of a knapsack. Early-war styles included coats
with capes and cuffs only (no lapels) and sleeved waistcoats or jackets. Illustration by
George C. Woodbridge, from George C. Neumann, Swords and Blades of the American
Revolution (Texarkana, TX, 1991).
 MISCELLANEOUS DETACHMENTS

June 18, 1778: Sent forward from their post at Gulph Mill, Pennsylvania, to
enter Philadelphia, and then follow the Crown Forces’ route through New
Jersey
JACKSON'S DETACHMENT, 200** BATTALION
Col. Henry Jackson
Lt. Col. William Smith
Maj. John S. Tyler
(Jackson's detachment was composed of three under strength Massachusetts
Continental Regiments: Jackson's, Henley's, and William Lee's. The three
regiments were formally reconstituted as one regiment, 22 April 1779.)
** Jackson’s detachment was stationed at Gulph Mill (west of the Schuylkill River, on the Gulph
Creek near present-day West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania) during the 1777-1778 Valley Forge
winter. That detachment was ordered to enter Philadelphia after British forces evacuated it.
Jackson’s men continued on and reached the town of Black Horse, New Jersey on 24 June, two
days after the British army left. (Orders, 11 June 1778, Order Book, belonging to Lt. Col. William
Smith of Jackson's Additional Regiment, 1777-1780, Numbered Record Books Concerning Military
Operations and Service, Pay and Settlement of Accounts, and Supplies in the War Department
Collection of Revolutionary War Records, Record Group 93, National Archives Microfilm
Publication M853, reel 3, vol. 17, target 3. Mark Edward Lender and Garry Wheeler Stone, Fatal
Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle (Norman, Ok.:
Oklahoma University Press, 2016), 170.)

June 23, 1778: Sent forward from the main army from Amwell, New Jersey
MORGAN’S RIFLE CORPS, Col. Daniel Morgan
(Circa 600 men) REGIMENT
Rifle companies from the 1st, 4th, and 12th Pennsylvania regiments
50 men from the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard
Two light infantry companies from the North Carolina brigade
25 men (375 total) from every other brigade (fifteen) with the main army

4TH CONTINENTAL LIGHT DRAGOONS, Col. Stephen Moylan BATTALION

(Circa 150-200 men)*
All effective mounted men (perhaps 150 men), plus detachments from 1st and 3d Light Dragoon
regiment)
* Based on the 29 August 1778 army return. (Charles H. Lesser, Sinews of Independence: Monthly
Strength Reports of the Continental Army (Chicago, Il. and London, 1976), 80-83.)
 Three troopers of the 3d Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons. A portion of that unit was sent
detached from the main army on June 23d to serve with the advanced forces contending with the
Crowned forces marching columns.

Capt. Jonathan Phillips’ company, 2d New Jersey Regiment, June 1778.

Recreated by the Augusta County Militia (including members of the Queen’s Own Loyal Virginia
Regiment) for Monmouth 2013.
 LEE'S ADVANCE FORCE
Major General Charles Lee (commanding the Advance Force as of 26 June 1778)
Lt. Col. John Brooks, acting Adjutant-General
Captain John Francis Mercer (3rd VA), Aide-de-Camp (apptd. 8 June 78)
Captain Evan Edwards (Hartley’s Additional), Aide-de-Camp
Colonel François Lellorquis, marquis de Malmedy, Volunteer Aide-de-Camp

Brigadier General Louis DuPortail, Engineer

Jean Baptiste, Chevalier de Ternant, Deputy Inspector
Brigadier General David Forman, New Jersey Militia
Lieutenant Colonel Eleazer Oswald (2d Continental Artllery) Senior Artillerist

June 24, 1778: Sent forward from the main army at Hopewell, New Jersey
SCOTT’S DETACHMENT (Brig. Gen. Charles Scott) 1,440 men BRIGADE
Col. Marinus Willet, volunteer Aide (Willett, A Narrative, p. 66)
CILLEY'S BATTALION, 350 rank & file battalion
Col. Joseph Cilley (1st NH)
Lt. Col. Henry Dearborne (3rd NH)
Maj. Simeon Thayer (2nd RI)
PARKER'S BATTALION battalion
Col. Richard Parker (1st VA)
Lt. Col. Samuel Smith (4th MD)
Capt. Alexander Smith (Rawling’s Additional)
Capt. Alexander Trueman (6th MD) (see Smith, Autobio.)
BATTALION (unknown commander) battalion
BUTLER’S BATTALION battalion
Lt. Col. William Butler (Acting Commander, 4th PA)
Col. Mordecai Gist (3rd MD)
(See Smith, Autobio., and Lee Papers, III:63)
w/ two batterys totaling four guns

June 25, 1778: Sent forward from the main army at Kingston, New Jersey
Maj. Gen. Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
(commanding the Advance Force as of 25 June 1778)
Gen. George Washington, “The next day [25 June] … I dispatched a third detachment of a thousand
select Men, under Brigadier General Wayne, and sent the Marquis de la Fayette to take the command
of the whole advanced Corps, including Maxwells Brigade and Morgans light infantry; with orders
to take the first fair opportunity of attacking the Enemy's Rear.”)

WAYNE'S DETACHMENT OF PICKED MEN, 1000 BRIGADE

Brigadier General Anthony Wayne (detached)
LIVINGSTON'S BATTALION, 380 battalion
Col. Henry Beekman Livingston (4th NY)
Lt. Col. Ezra Badlam (2nd MA)
Maj. Edmund B. Dickinson (1st VA)
STEWART'S BATTALION battalion
Col. Walter Stewart (2nd PA)
WESSON'S BATTALION battalion
Col. James Wesson (9th MA)
Lt. Col. Nathaniel Ramsay (3rd MD)
w/ battery of two guns,
Capt. Thomas Seward, 6th Comp., 3rd Cont. Art.
June 26, 1778: Sent forward from the main army at Cranbury, New Jersey
Major General Charles Lee (commanding the Advance Force as of 26 June 1778)
Lt. Col. John Brooks, acting Adjutant-General
Captain John Francis Mercer (3rd VA), Aide-de-Camp (apptd. 8 June 78)
Captain Evan Edwards (Hartley’s Additional), Aide-de-Camp
Colonel François Lellorquis, marquis de Malmedy, Volunteer Aide-de-Camp

Brigadier General Louis DuPortail, Engineer

Jean Baptiste, Chevalier de Ternant, Deputy Inspector
Brigadier General David Forman, New Jersey Militia
Lieutenant Colonel Eleazer Oswald (2d Continental Artllery) Senior Artillerist

VARNUM'S BRIGADE, 300-350 “REGIMENT”

Col. John Durkee (4th CT) 2 or 3 battalions
nd
Lt. Col. Jeremeiah Olney (2 RI)
Lt. Col. Giles Russell (4th CT)
(Varnum's Brigade consisted of four under strength New England regiments [1st RI, 2nd
RI, 4th CT, & 8th CT], but with only three of their complement of eight colonels present,
about half of the brigade was detached to serve in Wayne's and Scott's detachments of
picked men. 1st & 2nd RI were already functioning as one battalion (Colonel Isaac
Angell's "regiment"). During Monmouth, the further reduced CT regiments may have
functioned as one battalion.)
w/ battery of two guns,*
Capt. David Cook, 11th Comp., 3rd Cont. Art.
Capt. Lieut. Jonathan Compston, “ “ “
(* under command of Lt. Col. Eleazer Oswald, 2nd Continental Artillery [Lee, III:130])

SCOTT'S BRIGADE, 600 BRIGADE

Col. William Grayson, commander
VIRGINIA BATTALION (combined 4th, 8th, 12th VIRGINIA REGIMENTS)
GRAYSON'S ADDITIONAL CONTINENTAL REGIMENT
PATTON'S ADDITIONAL CONTINENTAL REGIMENT
Lt. Col. John Park
w/ battery of two guns,*
Capt. Thomas Wells, 10th Comp., 3rd Cont. Art.
__________________
NEW JERSEY BRIGADE, 1200-1300 BRIGADE
Brigadier General William Maxwell Present, fit, June
Brigade Major Aaron Ogden (Quartermaster)
1st NJ: Col Mathias Ogden 396 Regiment
Lt. Col. William De Hart
2nd NJ: Col. Israel Shreve 373 Regiment
Lt. Col. David Rhea
Maj. Richard Howell
3rd NJ: Col. Elias Dayton 294 Regiment
Lt. Col. Francis Barber [detached during afternoon or earlier]
Maj. Joseph Bloomfield
4th NJ: Lt. Col. David Brearly 234 Regiment
w/ battery of two guns
Capt. Thomas Randall’s Company (attached to 2nd Cont. Art.:
pension appl. Jos. Lummis, S41784)
NJ militia light horse: Lt. Col. Anthony W. White (4th C.L.D.)
Somerset Co. Light Horse, Capt. John Stryker
(pension appl. Tunis Hoagland S1023)

(Garry Stone & Mark Lender, Jan. 1993, rev. April 2003/gws & John U. Rees)
_____________________

See also:

Mark Edward Lender and Garry Wheeler Stone, Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth
Campaign, and the Politics of Battle (Norman, Ok.: Oklahoma University Press, 2016)

“’Beware of being Burgoyned.’: Marching Toward Monmouth, Delaware River to Freehold, 18 to 27

June 1778”
Contents
1. Crown forces’ strength on 28 June 1778
2. Continental forces contending with Gen. Sir Henry Clinton’s columns
3. Additional advance detachments and the composition of Maj. Gen. Charles Lee’s Advanced Corps
4. British Baggage Train on the March Across New Jersey.
5. List of Narrators
6. “They got a full fire from Capt. Ross this morning with 50 men …”
Daily Accounts of the March to Monmouth Courthouse
7. Map of the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, June 28, 1778, drawn by Capt. William Gray, 4th Pennsylvania
Regiment (New-York Historical Society)
8. March Events and Route Overview by Maj. Gen. Wilhelm von Knyphausen
9. “A very irregular & ill managed Embarkation.”
Post-Battle: British March to and Embarkation from Sandy Hook
10. Related Books and Online Articles
https://tinyurl.com/Burgoyned

“’A Detatchment of 1500 Pick’d men was taken to Day from the army …’: Troop Formations
Detached from Washington’s Army Prior to the Battle of Monmouth, June 1778 (Most of which
formed the Advance Force commanded by Maj. Gen. Charles Lee)”
https://www.scribd.com/document/125408707/A-Detatchment-of-1500-Pick-d-men-was-taken-to-
Day-from-the-army-Troop-Formations-Detached-from-Washington-s-Army-Prior-to-the-Battle-of-
Monmouth
“`What is this you have been about to day?’: The New Jersey Brigade at the Battle of Monmouth,”
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthToc.htm
Narrative
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/Monmouth.htm#1
1. Introduction
2. "In readiness to march at a moment's warning ...": Pre-Battle Dispositions and Plans
3. "To get up with the enemy": Major General Charles Lee's Force Sets Off
4. "I found the whole of the troops upon my right retreating ...": Morning Confrontation at
Monmouth Courthouse
5. "The day was so excessively hot ...": Lee’s Retreat
6. “They answered him with three cheers ...”: Washington Recovers the Day
7. “The Action was Exceedingly warm and well Maintained …”: Infantry Fighting at the
Point of Woods, Hedge-row, and Parsonage
8. "The finest musick, I Ever heared.": Afternoon Artillery Duel, and Cilley’s Attack on the
42nd Regiment
9. “Detached to assist in burying the dead …”: Battle’s Aftermath
10. “The March has proved salutory to the troops.”: Post-Battle: The Continental Army Moves North
11.“A very irregular & ill managed Embarkation.”: Post-Battle British March to Sandy Hook
12. "The defective constitution of our army ...": Casting Blame for the Morning Debacle
13. Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778: Event Synopsis
Appendices
A. “Beware of being Burgoyned.”: Marching Toward Monmouth, Delaware River to Freehold, 18
to 27 June 1778
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthA.htm
B. “The whole army moved towards the Delaware …”: Continental Army March from Valley
Forge to Englishtown, N.J., 18 to 27 June 1778
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthB.htm
C. “General Lee being detached with the advanced Corps …”: Composition of Charles Lee’s
Force
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthC.htm
D. “Our Division formed a line on the eminence …”:Washington’s Main Army Order of Battle,
28 June 1778
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthD.htm
E. “A large Number of troops …”: Continental and British Army Field Returns, 28 June 1778
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthE.htm
F.“I resolved nevertheless to attack them …”: American Monmouth Battle Accounts
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthF.htm
G. “Charge, Grenadiers, never heed forming”: British Accounts of the Monmouth Battle
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthG.htm
H. "More Glorious to America than at first Supposed ...": New Jersey Officers Describe the Battle of
Monmouth
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthH.htm
I. "They answered him with three cheers ...": New Jersey Common Soldiers' Pension Depositions
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthI.htm
J. “A very smart cannonading ensued from both sides.”: Maxwell’s Jersey Brigade Artillery and
the Afternoon Cannonade at Monmouth
https://www.scribd.com/doc/139365107/A-very-smart-cannonading-ensued-from-both-sides-Continental-
Artillery-at-Monmouth-Courthouse-28-June-1778
K. “Jun 29th, Buried the Dead …”: Casualties in the Battle of Monmouth
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthK.htm
L. “We are informed by several persons …“: Contemporary Newspaper Accounts
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthL.htm
M. “That damned blue Regiment …”: Continental Army Clothing during the Monmouth
Campaign
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthM.htm
N. “General Wayne's detachment is almost starving.”: Provisioning Washington’s Army on the
March, June 1778
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthN.htm
O. “The canopy of heaven for our tent”: Soldiers' Shelter on Campaign, June 1778
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthO.htm
P. “Be pleased to fill up the vacancy with the eldest Captain in the line …”: Field Officers, Commissioned
Officers, and Staff of the 2nd New Jersey Regiment December 1777 to May 1779
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthP.htm
Q. “Exceeding Hot & water is scarce …”: Monmouth Campaign Weather, 15 June to 7 July, 1778
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/monmouth/MonmouthQ.pdf

“’A very smart cannonading ensued from both sides.’: Continental Artillery at Monmouth
Courthouse, 28 June 1778”
Appendices
1. Col. Richard Butler’s 1778 Map of the Monmouth Battle (drawn by William Gray)
2. “The Company was sent to Eastown with the pieces taken at Saratoga …”: Brig. Gen. William Maxwell’s
Jersey Brigade Artillery at Monmouth.
3. Recreations of late 18th Century Cannons, Limbers, and Ammunition Wagons
4. Period Images of English Cannon and Ammunition/Powder Wagons
5. Images of German (mostly Hessian) Artillery, Limbers, and Ammunition Wagons during the Period of the
War for American Independence
https://www.scribd.com/doc/139365107/A-very-smart-cannonading-ensued-from-both-sides-
Continental-Artillery-at-Monmouth-Courthouse-28-June-1778
New Jersey Brigade common soldiers likely wore hunting shirts, with breeches or overalls,
in the spring and summer of 1778. Levies drafted from the militia to serve for nine months
in the state’s Continental regiments were also issued hunting shirts and breeches, some
levies also wore civilian-style trousers; a small numbers of levies provided their own
clothing which may have been a mix of civilian coats as well as hunting shirts. Maryland,
New Jersey, and New York had substantial numbers of levies with their regiments at the
Battle of Monmouth. Illustration by Peter F. Copeland. Courtesy of the artist.
Continental Army private soldier, 1777-1778.
(Thanks to David Niescior)