The British Arrive in Allentown

On June 24, 1778, after several days of skirmishing and harassment from rebels － both militia and Continental regulars－General Clinton’s British army reaches Allentown. Clinton decides to move toward Monmouth Court House (i.e., Freehold), and then cross to New York from Sandy Hook, under the protection of Royal Navy shipborne cannon. Washington decides to avoid a major fight, and sends 1,500 troops to hang on the British rear with orders to act “as occasion may serve.” In just a few days, this occasion will become the Battle of Monmouth.

Sources:

Lender, Mark E., & Stone, Garry W. (2016). Fatal Sunday. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Okla., pp. 441-450.

Featured image: The Old Mill in Allentown. Image credit: The Historic Village of Allentown. Available: https://www.allentownnj.com/our-history/