Reprinted courtesy of: The Brigade Courier, December, 2004, copyright Brigade Of The American Revolution 2004
“Give ’em Watts, Boys!”
The Battle of Springfield, June 23rd, 1780
Introduction: On June 23rd, 1780, the climactic battle of the final invasion of NJ was fought in Springfield. Approx. 6,000 Crown forces under Gen. Knyphausen attacked from Staten Island, NY, via Elizabethtown, NJ, attempting to seize the Hobart Gap in the Watchung Mts. and then Morristown. He was stopped by Gen. Greene with a force of approx. 2,000 Continentals and NJ Militia.
Stopped at Springfield by the bravery of Maxwell’s Jerseymen, Angell’s Rhode Islanders, “Light Horse Harry” Lee’s Dragoons and many others, the town was burned to the ground upon the withdrawal of British forces. When studying the American Revolution, only a handful of towns or communities were burned to the ground by the British in an act of terror to militarily intimidate the population. Lexington & Concord were not. Springfield was.
Background to the Battle: 1780 – The War of Independence has been going on for 5 long years. Continental currency has become worthless as the phrase, “Not worth a Continental” enters the English language. The winter of 1780 is the coldest of the entire 18th C. NY Harbor froze over so that the British could sled cannon from Manhattan to Staten Island. Washington’s Army nearly starves to death a Jockey Hollow, suffering more than anything seen at Valley Forge. Conditions are so bad the mutinies break out and continue throughout the spring.
In NYC, William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin’s illegitimate son and last Royal Governor of NJ, among other powerful Loyalists, campaigns to attempt to regain NJ for the Crown. When, on May 12, Sir Henry Clinton, implements his “Southern Strategy” by seizing Charleston, SC., the American Revolution teeters on the brink out disaster. Lt. Gen. Baron Wilhelm von Knyphausen, left in charge of the NY Garrison, is goaded into making a thrust for Morristown to “end the war”.
According to Loyalist intelligence, the mutinous Continentals will not fight, the war weary and bankrupt population will not turn out as Militia (as had happened during Washington’s Retreat in 1776) and with horses lacking in Morristown (either eaten or dispersed for forage), the most important Continental Magazine & Artillery Park would fall into Royal hands. “A few hard blows”, and New Jersey is pacified and under Crown authority again.
>>>>>>View Battle Map Here<<<<<<
Order of Battle:
Crown Forces: British Guards, 22nd, 37th, 38th, 43rd, & 57th Regts, Royal Artillery, 2 Battalions of Skinner’s West Jersey Vols., 2 Anspach Regts, and the entire Anspach & Hessian Jager Corps, 17th Lt. Dragoons, von Diemar’s Hussars, Queens Rangers, Lieb Regt, & Landgraf, Donop, Bunau & Bose Regts, reinforced by 42nd Regt.
Allied Forces: 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th NJ, 2nd RI, Lee’s Legion, Jackson’s MA, Webb’s Conn, Dickinson’s NJ Militia from Essex, Morris, Somerset & Middlesex Cos.
The “Final Invasion” of NJ: Part I – The Battle of Connecticut Farms: June 6, 1780, Gen. Knyphausen looking for an easy war ending victory launches an attack from Staten Island to seize the strategic Hobart Gap in the Watchung Mtns, the last defensible position between NYC and Morristown.
Upon landing on the Elizabethtown (Elizabeth), NJ shore, everything began to go wrong.
A picket posted by Col. Elias Dayton, 3rd NJ Regt, on the road from Elizabethtown Pt., fire one volley and retires. They knock British Brig Gen Thomas Stirling out of the saddle and take the most aggressive Crown commander out of action. Col. Von Wurmb takes command of the 1st Division’s Advance and decides to wait for daylight before the tackling the mission, wasting valuable hours.
Dayton retires to the defensible village of Conn. Farms (today’s Union, NJ), joined by Brig Gen William “Scotch Willie” Maxwell and the rest of the Jersey Brigade. In the meantime, the Jersey Militia begins to turn out to support the Continentals. They begin to skirmish on the flanks of the enemy and help defend the ravine east of town. Maxwell using the bayonet actually drives the enemy Advance Guard back to the Main Body.
Finally outnumbered, the Jersey Brigade stages a fighting retreat back to the bridge over Rahway River at Springfield. They are relieved by Commander-in-Chief’s Guard and the arriving Main Body of Washington’s Army marching down from Morristown.
Having failed to take the Hobart Gap, learned that the Continentals & Militia would fight, Knyphausen learns that Clinton and a large part of the victorious Carolina Army is about to return to NYC. Burning Conn Farms to the ground, he retires during the night to fortify Elizabethtown Pt.
During the fighting in Conn Farms, Hannah Caldwell, the wife of Rev James Caldwell, “The Rebel High Priest”, was killed in her own home protecting her children. With her “murder” she becomes NJ’s “Jenny McCrea”. Her husband spends the coming days making sure all of NJ knows of it.
The “Final Invasion” of NJ: Part II – “Give ’em Watts, Boys!” The Battle of Springfield: June 23, 1780, with the return of Gen. Clinton, he makes the best of a bad situation by keeping his Carolina Army on board ship to threatening West Point, drawing Washington’s Main Army North to Pompton, while ordering Knyhausen to once again try for the Hobart Gap.
Washington has assigned a covering force to Gen Nathanial Greene, in his first independent command. Foretelling the future in the South, he prepares a defense in depth with the few troops at hand. NJ Militia rings the British lines of Elizabethtown Pt. Dayton’s 3rd NJ back them up from E’town to Conn Farms, Lee’s Legion holds the ground from Conn Farms to the Vauxhall Rd bridge over the Rahway River to the North (in today’s Millburn), backed up by Ogden’s 1st NJ. The key Springfield Bridge on Galloping Hills Rd (today’s Morris Ave.) is held by Col Israel Angell’s 2nd RI Regt, supported at the 2nd Bridge by Shreve’s 2nd NJ Regt. The Gap is defended by Maxwell and the 4th NJ plus the rest of Brig Gen John Stark’s Brigade, Jackson’s MA & Webb’s CT Regts. (See Map)
This time knowing the ground well, Knyhausen brushes aside the Militia and thrusts toward Conn Farms. As the alarm spreads, the NJ Militia swarms like bees to attack the flanks of the advancing invaders.
Knyhausen is delayed by Dayton’s fighting retreat, but outflanks the Conn Farms’ position by sending British Gen Edward Mathews up the Vauxhall Rd. The 3rd NJ fights its way to the Springfield bridge where almost out of ammunition, it is relieved by the 2nd RI, supported by one cannon commanded by Capt Thomas Thompson.
Angell’s Rhode Islanders hold off the main attack of the British Army, 5 times their number, for 25 minutes. Thompson is killed and the gun disabled. The 37th & 38th Regts, supported by Jagers storm the bridge. The 2nd RI fights its way back to the 2nd bridge and the support of the 2nd NJ. Unable to hold, they retire to Greene’s HQ at Bryant’s Tavern right in the Short Hills of the Hobart Gap.
During the height of the battle, Caldwell took the old Watts Hymnals from the 1st Presbyterian Church, gave those to the troops for “wadding” and cartridge paper, shouting, “Give ’em Watts, Boys!” “Put Watts Into ‘em, Boys!”
In the meantime, Gen Mathews is delayed by Maj “Light Horse Harry” Henry Lee, who with Ogden attempt to hold the Vauxhall Bridge. The attack is lead by the Queen’s Rangers, NJ Vols & British Guards. Flanked by the famed Queen’s Rangers under Lt. Col. Simcoe, they fight their way back to Short Hills in the Hobart Gaps where they are reinforced by Stark’s Brigade.
Not willing to pay the price of storming the heights, having once again failed to breakthrough the Hobart Gap, and not drawing Washington’s Main Army from behind the Watchungs or within striking distance of West Pt., Kyphausen withdraws completely from NJ. And, as they go, Loyalists burn Springfield to the ground, as they did Conn. Farms.
Only 4 houses survived; 3 behind American lines to the South & West, and the historic “Cannonball” House, a British field hospital which was struck by an American 4 lbr. during the battle. (Today, it’s owned and run by the Springfield Historical Society.) It took 14 yrs. for the town to recover and formally incorporate in 1794.
Although the Americans saw two towns burned, the British never attempted to invade NJ again. The hornet’s nest was well remembered by Clinton next year, when Washington and Rochambeau marched for Yorktown.
Bibliography:
Boatner III, Mark M. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. New York, 1976
Fleming, Thomas. The Forgotten Victory. New York, 1973
Fleming, Thomas. New Jersey’s Revolutionary Experience #8: The Battle of Springfield N.J. Historical
Commission, Trenton, NJ 1975
Editor's Note: "The Battle of Springfield" by Thomas Fleming will be available as an authorized reprint from the 225th Anniversary Committee and can be ordered on our Merchandise Page when available.
