New Jersey was a major battleground during the American Revolutionary War. George Washington and his troops famously crossed the Delaware to win the Battle of Trenton in the most well-known Garden State fight. But did you know the story behind Molly Pitcher and the Battle of Monmouth? If you want to learn more about the war history of your own backyard, plan a trip to see this historic and haunted New Jersey battlefield in person.
The Battle of Monmouth was a skirmish that led to no conclusive victory or defeat - just a lot of bloodshed and damage to morale on both sides.
Today, the battlefield is a preserved state park, and both historians and those chasing the paranormal like to come here to explore.
It's hard not to feel a chill in the air as you walk the battlefield paths.
Between 650-1600 soldiers died in this bloody battle in a series of attacks and retreats.
The wide open fields have been well preserved, and you can walk the same lines that the soldiers walked on June 28, 1778.
The bloody Battle of Monmouth was mismanaged by General Charles Lee, and eventually, General George Washington had to come to push the British back.
Monmouth Battlefield State Park is a lovely site nowadays, but no matter how thick the wildflowers grow, and no matter how beautiful the wide-open sky may be, it's still the site of unthinkable loss.
Over the years, visitors, researchers, and ghost hunters have noticed all sorts of paranormal happenings here.
If you visit on a calm, quiet day, keep your ears perked. You might hear a sad wail in a warm summer breeze.
While the result of the battle was inconclusive, one piece of history from the Battle of Monmouth has stayed in folklore for centuries -- the story of Molly Pitcher.
A few days after the battle had ended, a story was passed around in the field hospitals, telling the tale of a woman who rushed in to man the guns after her husband was wounded. She carried ammunition, and then when the soldiers were capable in their positions, she began to bring water to the Americans on the battlefield. While this woman was most likely Mary Ludwig Hays from Pennsylvania, the name Molly Pitcher is what stuck. Soon, the tale of Molly Pitcher at Monmouth blended to represent the contributions of other women in the battle that day and in the future. In the late 1900s, archeologists and historians found a well in a spot near the artillery line, and it was marked as Molly Pitcher's Spring.
Have you visited this haunted battlefield in New Jersey? We would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
Of course, Monmouth is far from the only battlefield in New Jersey. If you want to explore another, why not visit Princeton Battlefield State Park? It's home to a lovely swinging bridge hike and plenty of Revolutionary War history.
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