Posted on Feb 23, 2020
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This is a fascinating story about Reverend Caldwell during the Revolutionary War at the “Battle of Springfield”.
As the story goes, by 1780, Springfield, NJ had been the site of frequent raids and plundering missions by British forces earlier, resulting in a particularly vigilant population. One raid, on June 7, 1780, known as the Battle of Connecticut Farms, resulted in the burning of the community, in what is now Union Township, New Jersey, when Hannah Caldwell the wife of the Reverend Caldwell was killed.
When Knyphausen moved in force toward the Hobart Gap, American troops, consisting of regular troops from Rhode Island, troops under Light Horse Harry Lee, and New Jersey militia, decided to take a stand in the small village of Springfield. As it turned out, George Washington had held his general headquarters in Springfield until the day before but left the defense to General Nathanael Greene.
On June 23, the invaders approached in 2 columns. Gen. Nathaniel Greene was advantageously posted. The British force, about 5,000-men strong, with cavalry and almost 20 cannon, seemed sufficient to crush any American army that might oppose them. Gen. George Washington had left the area, leaving Greene in the vicinity with Col. Angell and his Rhode Islanders at the Rahway River vicinity.
For more than 40 minutes, Angell and his men fought 5 times their numbers to a standstill. The British slowly pushed the militia back to the second bridge over Van Winkle’s Brook on Morris Avenue. During the heat of the battle, Reverend James Caldwell, Chaplain of Col. Elias Dayton’s Regiment, whose wife had been murdered 16 days before, passed out Watts Hymnals from the Presbyterian Church for use as wadding. His cry of “Give Them Watts, Boys”, has lived on the become a Motto of that conflict.
This is a fascinating story about Reverend Caldwell during the Revolutionary War at the “Battle of Springfield”.
As the story goes, by 1780, Springfield, NJ had been the site of frequent raids and plundering missions by British forces earlier, resulting in a particularly vigilant population. One raid, on June 7, 1780, known as the Battle of Connecticut Farms, resulted in the burning of the community, in what is now Union Township, New Jersey, when Hannah Caldwell the wife of the Reverend Caldwell was killed.
When Knyphausen moved in force toward the Hobart Gap, American troops, consisting of regular troops from Rhode Island, troops under Light Horse Harry Lee, and New Jersey militia, decided to take a stand in the small village of Springfield. As it turned out, George Washington had held his general headquarters in Springfield until the day before but left the defense to General Nathanael Greene.
On June 23, the invaders approached in 2 columns. Gen. Nathaniel Greene was advantageously posted. The British force, about 5,000-men strong, with cavalry and almost 20 cannon, seemed sufficient to crush any American army that might oppose them. Gen. George Washington had left the area, leaving Greene in the vicinity with Col. Angell and his Rhode Islanders at the Rahway River vicinity.
For more than 40 minutes, Angell and his men fought 5 times their numbers to a standstill. The British slowly pushed the militia back to the second bridge over Van Winkle’s Brook on Morris Avenue. During the heat of the battle, Reverend James Caldwell, Chaplain of Col. Elias Dayton’s Regiment, whose wife had been murdered 16 days before, passed out Watts Hymnals from the Presbyterian Church for use as wadding. His cry of “Give Them Watts, Boys”, has lived on the become a Motto of that conflict.
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1936.02.018 - Battle of Springfield, N.J. (Give 'em Watts, Boys) 1780
Posted from frauncestavern.pastperfectonline.com
Military History
George Washington
Springfield
Posted 5 y ago
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