Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-07-14

Birmingham Meeting House, stand for
gallantry against overwhelming odds. Con-
gress, as usual, adjourned to place Of
safety, and upon the Goth OF September,
Washington was distressed to witness the
Anglo Hessian occupation Of Philadelphia
as nine months afterward, he reioiced in
the evacuation of the same city by the same
army.
The winning Of the prize by the British
had been accomplished at great sacrifice
Of men and money. The campaign had
been long and expensive, and Howe awoke
to the realization that his zone of influence
was extremely narrow 1t was indeed one
thing to capture city, but another thing
to feed the conquering army. The planta-
tons Of the Quaker land owners to the
Southwest and West Of Philadelphia had
been raided by the antagonists, Washing
ton occupied the country North and North
east of the capital while the Delaware
river front from Trenton to Coopers Point
was quite well protected by armed vessels,
stationed at Burlington, and belonging to
the State of Pennsylvania. Some of these
craft, lying at Camden, bombarded Phila,
while Howe was entrenehing the city. Be
low the city lay the Forts and the eheveau-
de-frize. Howe was in an extremity. He
realized his food supplies must be drawn
largely from Salem and Gloucester counties
in West Jersey, and that he must have
with the sea
To destroy the forts and the cheveaux-de-
frize, giving to Philadelphia as open har-
Dor as that Of New York, was the work as
signed to Lord Richard Howe. This Brit
ish naval commander lay at Chester, stop
ped in his northward passage by naval stock
AIDES and by the possibility Of distinctive
work by the garrisons of the f. Is.
1t may be we'll affirmed ii the presence
Of an auditory such as this, t3,.st the detail
of the part played by Red Bank are too WEI
known to require repetition. Particularly,
is this true as the subject been treated at
length by West Jerseys distinguished his
torian, the Hon. Alfred NJ Fl ston of Attain
tic City, whose monographs Defense of
Fort Mercer is both clear and concise.
Yet it may not be amiss to refer to certain
events of the 22nd Of October
1777.
Under the centnry-old trees OF BED Bank
we find a rounded ridge, tangled hidden
ditch, a bit OF brick work and few hill
locks, all that remains of Fort Mercer
But it is a battle ground with past that
reaches to the very beginnings of European
life ON the Delaware. Near Red Bank, in
1888, was built Fort Nassau, where the
claims of Holland to supremacy upon the
river first found martial express
ion. Near this spot met the citizens Of
the Bird and 4th Tenths of West Jersey, de-
claring, in May 1886, that they possessed
an inherent right to erect a county govern
ment independent of legislative authority.
The place is rich in traditions of West Jer-
sey. Fitting it is that it should have been
to the cause OF liberty.
The military works at Red Bank, by
reason of their commanding position were
of first Importance in the matter of harbor
defence. Although General Howe had oc-
cupied the city, General Washington and
his military advisers chung to the hope that
the forts would keep che feet of Sir Rich
ard Howe from effecting communication
with the city, and that Red Bank would
serve as base for the protection of the
near by farms of West Jersey in case of
raids, To this end upon the 9th of October,
Washington, from his headquarters at
Skippack, directed Colonel Christopher
Greene to proceed to Red Bank with 400
men, composing two Rhode Island Regi-
ments of General yarnums brigade At
Red Bank Colonel Greene was to cooper
ate with Colonel Samuel Smith at Fort
Maryland line, and the American galles,
lying in the river, under commander Hazel
wood. Cannon and military stores were to
be furnished Fort Mercer by the Fort
Miffiin arsenal. General Newcomb of the
New Jersey militia was directed by Gen.
eral Washington to give all the aid in his
power, the ommander-in-chief advising
Colonel Greene that the post to which he
was entrusted was of the utmost import
ance to America, demanding every exertion
for its security and defence. ''The whole
defence Of the Delaware said Washington
absolutely depends upon il, and conse-
quently all the enemy's hopes of keeping
Philadelphia, and finally succeeding in the
object of the present campaign
The force assigned to Colonel Greene was
entirely inadequate to the proper protection
of Fort Mercer JTpon arriving at Red