Monmouth Battlefield State Park
The Morning Attack: Washington Tries to Hurt a Moving Army
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
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Transcript
The battle began because a moving army is vulnerable.
Sir Henry Clinton was evacuating Philadelphia and marching across New Jersey toward New York.
His column included troops, wagons and civilians associated with the army.
Washington followed from Valley Forge.
The American command debated how aggressively to attack.
Major General Charles Lee had recently returned to the army after British captivity.
He had been cautious about a large engagement.
When Washington formed an advanced force large enough to matter, Lee claimed command by seniority.
On the morning of June 28, his troops moved toward the British rear.
At first, the opportunity looked promising.
British units were still arranging their march.
American detachments pressed forward.
But Lee's force was assembled from multiple commands and had not rehearsed a single coordinated plan.
Information was incomplete.
The battlefield was broken by woods, fences and difficult ground.
Then the British reacted.
Clinton reversed strong forces and counterattacked.
American units began pulling back.
Lee eventually ordered a broader retreat.
That decision became the controversy that overshadowed his career.
It is tempting to explain the morning as cowardice or incompetence.
The evidence is less neat.
Lee faced confusing terrain, uncertain troop positions and a stronger British response than expected.
The retreat may have been defensible in principle.
The deeper problem was disorder.
Washington had expected an attack.
He encountered troops coming back toward him.
This is an important American military story because the army's improvement at Valley Forge did not magically eliminate command friction.
Training made units better.
It did not guarantee generals would share the same plan.
Monmouth almost became a disaster not because the soldiers forgot how to fight, but because battlefield coordination broke down at exactly the wrong moment.