Village Inn - Englishtown, NJ
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 40° 17.827 W 074° 21.521
18T E 554504 N 4460932
Englishtown was the headquarters of the Continental Army during the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778.
Waymark Code: WM6MFN
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 06/21/2009
Views: 2
"The VILLAGE INN, west side of Main St. (open), built in 1732, is long and narrow, with white clapboards and dark red shutters. An old pump set in the sidewalk is still in use. On the eve of the battle the American officers held a conference in the inn while their men passed the warm night sleeping in the surrounding fields. Here also Maj. Gen. Charles Lee, after the battle, wrote the letter which, together with his conduct on the field, led to his court martial and dismissal from the Army (see Tour ISA). In the dining room Washington drew up the three charges on which Lee was tried. Relics of the battle are exhibited in two rooms of the inn. Three entrances lead from the long porch supported by square posts."
--- New Jersey, A Guide to Its Past and Present, 1939
The Battle of Monmouth was a triumph for General Washington and the Continental Army, forcing the British to retreat. But, it may not have a been a victory due to the actions and inactions of General Charles Lee. General Lee led his regimen of 5,000 in the Continental Army to attack the unsuspecting British from the rear before they had a chance to break morning camp.
When Lee realized that half of the British soldiers had readied and were coming his way, he led a retreat across Monmouth Battlefield without so much as firing a shot. General Washington instructed Lee to delay action until the main Continental Army, with another 8,500 troops could approach. The battle resumed at 12:30 pm with a bloody clash at the hedgerows. The British advanced, only to find the Continental Army occupying a strong position atop Perrine Hill, behind a line of ten guns. Exhasted from the earlier clash and march, the British attack collapsed.
After the battle, Washington and Lord Stirling sat in the dining room of the Village Inn, an important stagecoach stop and center of commerce for the area. Here, on June 30, 1778, they drew up court martials on and ordered the arrest of Lee for three counts of disobeying orders.