Red Bank Battlefield

"This day was especially sad for me. I lost five of my oldest friends . . . . As long as I have served, I have not yet left a battlefield in such deep sorrow."Captain Johann Edward Ewald, Hessian soldierThe Battle of Red Bank pitted the American forces of the First and Second Rhode Island Regiments against German soldiers known as "Hessians." England's King George hired German soldiers to fight for the British when he could not fill the ranks with enough British soldiers. About 30,000 Hessians fought in the Revolution. The Hessians were not volunteers. They were conscripted. The Continental Congress actually offered 50 acres to any Hessian who deserted. If caught though, they could face execution.The American forces included the First Rhode Island Regiment led by Colonel Christopher Greene and Second Rhode Island Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Israel Angell. Following the Battle of Red Bank both Greene and Angell campaigned to allow African American troops in their regiments. The Rhode Island Regiment became the first unit to allow African American soldiers. Colonel Greene died in 1781 at the hands of Loyalists. He died fighting alongside African American troops. His body was mutilated possibly because of his advocacy for African American soldiers.

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Show me all markers in:  National Park, NJ  |  Gloucester County  |  08063  |  New Jersey  |  United States of America

African American Soldiers
Colonel Christopher Greene
Battle of Red Bank
The Battle of Red Bank
Flag of Fort Mercer Historical
Fort Mercer
Fort Mercer
Fort Mercer at Red Bank / Fort Mercer is Alerted
Archaeology at Red Bank Historical
Red Bank Monument

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