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The Battle of Springfield was a battle fought in the American Revolutionary War. Long thought to have been a raid in force, British records came to light in the 1800s that showed it was an attempt at gaining a strategic foothold in New Jersey by capturing the American headquarters in Morristown.
Background
Under the command of the Hessian general Baron Wilhelm von Knyphausen, British forces attempted an invasion of New Jersey in the spring of 1780, speculating that local residents, fatigued by the war, would welcome them. Originating in Staten Island and marching through Elizabethtown, Knyphausen intended to capture the strategic Hobart Gap, enabling a march on American headquarters in Morristown. British forces consisted of elements from the Brigade of Guards, the Cheshire Regiment, Black Watch, 43rd Regiment of Foot, Royal Regiment of Artillery, 17th Lancers, 1st American Regiment (Queen's Rangers), Jäger Corps the Musketeer Regiment von Donop, and Musketeer Regiment von Bose.
Springfield had been the site of frequent raids and plundering missions by British forces earlier, resulting in a particularly vigilant population. One raid, on June 7, 1780, known as the Battle of Connecticut Farms, resulted in the burning of the community, in what is now Union Township, New Jersey, when Hannah Caldwell was killed.
When Knyphausen moved in force toward the Hobart Gap, American troops, consisting of regular troops from Rhode Island, troops under Light Horse Harry Lee, and New Jersey militia, decided to take a stand in the small village of Springfield. As it turned out, George Washington had held his general headquarters in Springfield until the day before but left the defense to General Nathanael Greene.
Battle
British and Hessian forces launched a two-pronged attack along Vauxhall Road and Galloping Hill Road. American forces were entrenched at the Rahway River crossings in anticipation of both the attacks and held their ground. Units of the attackers crossed the river elsewhere and attempted flanking maneuvers toward the town center of Springfield and the foot of the Short Hills. American forces in reserve repelled the attacks. American reserves held in hills ahead, and Knyphausen's forces retreated.
Fighting was short and fierce; at one time the British launched five attacks in the span of 40 minutes. When retreating, British forces set fire to the village, burning down all but four buildings, of which three are still standing today. American forces and militia continued to harass British forces during their retreat, possibly expediting the full withdrawal to Staten Island.
According to legend, Reverend James Caldwell (Hannah Caldwell's widower), an army chaplain, passed out pages from the Watts hymnal book to be used as wadding. The battle cry "Give 'em Watts, boys" was apparently coined from this incident.
Aftermath
This was the last major engagement of the Revolutionary War in the north and effectively put an end to British ambitions in New Jersey. Because the decisive battles of the war moved further south, the Battle of Springfield became known as the "forgotten victory."
The river crossings where American forces put up their defense were near today's intersection between Vauxhall Road and Millburn Avenue; and Morris Avenue near Washington Avenue.
External links
- Commemorative website set up for anniversary of the battle
- Local DAR history of the battle
- Americanrevolution.org chapter on Hessians
| New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War | |
|---|---|
| 1776 -Fort Lee - Washington's crossing of the Delaware - First Trenton - 1777 - Second Trenton - Princeton - Millstone - Short Hills - Forage War - Bound Brook - Middlebrook encampment - 1778 - Monmouth - Molly Pitcher - Baylor Massacre - Little Egg Harbor massacre - Chestnut Neck - 1779 - Paulus Hook - 1780 - Connecticut Farms - Springfield - 1783 - U.S. Capital at Princeton |  |
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