The Battle of Monmouth Courthouse

The battle of Monmouth was fought in the fourth year of the American revolution. The war began in 1775 when the Americans captured the British base in Boston. In 1776 the British returned with 30,000 men and pushed the Americans out of Long Island, lower New York, and New Jersey. Only George Washington’s Christmas victory at Trenton prevented the British from entering Pennsylvania. The British continued their offensive in 1777, capturing Philadelphia, but they lost an entire army at Saratoga, New York. Saratoga lead to an alliance between the Americans and the French, and converted a colonial rebellion into a world war. Worried that the French navy might blockade the Delaware river, the British decided to abandon Philadelphia and concentrate their forces in New York City. This decision lead to the Battle of Monmouth.