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Government Building

Monmouth Court House (Freehold)

About This Place

The town of Freehold, known in the 18th century as Monmouth Court House, was the county seat and the community closest to the battlefield. The village gave its name to the battle and was the geographic center around which the engagement unfolded.

Revolutionary Significance

Monmouth Court House was a small agricultural village centered on the county courthouse in 1778. The British army passed through and near the village during its march across New Jersey, and the village's roads, buildings, and surrounding farmland became part of the battlefield on June 28. The courthouse itself served as a reference point for the commanders of both armies. After the battle, the village was left with damaged buildings, trampled fields, and scattered debris from the engagement. The current Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold, while not the 18th-century structure, occupies the same general area and continues the civic function that gave the village its colonial-era name.

Location

Main Street, Freehold, NJ 07728

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Events at This Location

  1. 1778

  2. 1778

    Valley Forge Training Tested at Monmouth

    Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton

  3. 1778

    British March from Philadelphia to New York

    Sir Henry Clinton, Charles Cornwallis

  4. 1778

  5. 1778

    Continental Army Departs Valley Forge

    Sir Henry Clinton, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

  6. 1778

    War Council at Hopewell

    George Washington, Charles Lee, Anthony Wayne

  7. 1778

    Lee Demands Advance Command

    Charles Lee, Marquis de Lafayette, George Washington

  8. 1778

  9. 1778

    Battle of Monmouth

    George Washington, Charles Lee, Sir Henry Clinton

  10. 1778

    Molly Pitcher at the Cannon

    Mary Ludwig Hays (Molly Pitcher)

  11. 1778

    Washington Confronts Lee on the Battlefield

    George Washington, Charles Lee, Marquis de Lafayette

  12. 1778

    Heat Casualties at Monmouth

    Mary Ludwig Hays (Molly Pitcher)

  13. 1778

    Lee's Retreat at Monmouth

    Marquis de Lafayette, Charles Lee, Anthony Wayne

  14. 1778

    Artillery Duel at Monmouth

    George Washington, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

  15. 1778

    British Grenadier Attacks Repulsed

    Charles Cornwallis, Anthony Wayne, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

  16. 1778

    Hamilton's Horse Shot at Monmouth

    Alexander Hamilton, George Washington

  17. 1778

    Washington Reforms the American Line

    George Washington, Anthony Wayne, Alexander Hamilton

  18. 1778

    British Night Withdrawal After Monmouth

    Sir Henry Clinton, Charles Cornwallis

  19. 1778

    Court-Martial of Charles Lee

    Charles Lee, George Washington, Anthony Wayne

  20. 1779

    Steuben's Blue Book Published

    Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

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