The Marquis de Lafayette, a nineteen-year-old French youth, arrived in
Philadelphia at the end of July 1777. He was a rich aristocrat, but he
was unpretentious, charming, and eager to learn. Introduced to George
Washington, he joined the commander-in-chief at the Battle of Brandywine
in September, where he proved that he was courageous. Soon after, the
British occupied Philadelphia and prepared to control the Delaware
River, vital as a supply route. In November, the marquis volunteered to
go to New Jersey with Major General Nathanael Greene and a detachment
sent to defend Fort Mercer, a Delaware River fort controlling shipping
access to Philadelphia. Mercer was threatened by an approaching enemy
column led by Lord Charles Cornwallis. The Continentals were unable to
reach Fort Mercer in time to save it, but Lafayette had ridden ahead of
Greene to reconnoiter. He discovered a 350-man picket of German riflemen
(jägers) guarding Cornwallis's camp, and with ten light dragoons, 150
riflemen from Daniel Morgan's Rifle Corps, and perhaps 200 New Jersey
militia, he attacked. In forty-five minutes, Lafayette's little band
drove the jägers back two and a half miles, almost to Cornwallis's camp.
When the news of Lafayette's small victory reached the Continental
Congress at York, Pennsylvania, the delegates were elated--this was the
only good news amid the gloom over the loss of Philadelphia and control
of the Delaware River. Massachusetts delegate James Lovell relayed a
glowing account of the skirmish to John Adams, concluding with "Genl.
Greene says the Marquis seems determined to court Danger. I wish more
were so determined."
In The Battle of Gloucester, 1777, archaeological historian Garry
Wheeler Stone, with the assistance of historian Paul W. Schopp,
recreates this minor but important clash during the Philadelphia
campaign. Relying on both primary source documents and the latest
archaeological interpretations, the authors have determined the course
of this fascinating "battle," as Benjamin Franklin later proclaimed it
to be. As a result of this action, when Washington requested that
Lafayette be given a division, Congress agreed. On December 4, 1777, the
marquis, promoted to major-general, took command of the brigades of
Generals Woodford and Scott to begin what would be a glorious career in
American service.
Small Battles: Military History as Local History
Mark Edward Lender and James Kirby Martin, Series Editors
Small Battles offers a fresh and important new perspective on the
story of America's early conflicts. It was the small battles, not the
clash of major armies, that truly defined the fighting during the
colonial wars, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the
hostilities on the frontiers. This is dramatic military history as seen
through the prism of local history--history with a depth of detail, a
feeling for place, people, and the impact of battle and its consequences
that the story of major battles often cannot convey. The Small Battles
series focuses on America's military conflicts at their most intimate
and revealing level.
