Honed by the winter at Valley Forge and disciplined in the science of war by drillmaster Baron Friedrich von Steuben, the Continental Army more than held its own against the British grenadiers in the Battle of Monmouth. It was the longest sustained battle of the Revolutionary War and the last major engagement in the northern theater. An outstanding trail system at New Jersey’s Monmouth Battlefield State Park allows participants to walk in the footsteps of Gen. George Washington, Molly Pitcher, and others who stood tall on the long, hot day of June 28, 1778.
This tour, led by historian Ed Bearss, includes two walks. One crosses Spotswood South Brook and moves into the hedgerows of the Parsonage Farm where “Mad” Anthony Wayne’s Pennsylvanians battled the elite British grenadiers. Another covers Perrine Hill, where the American artillery pounded the British. Between the tours, the group visits the old Tennent Church and its cemetery. Enjoy lunch at Spargo's Grille in Manalapan.
7 a.m. to 9 p.m. by bus from the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C St., S.W., with a pickup stop at the I-495 Exit 27 commuter parking lot at about 7:25 a.m.
The program includes approximately 3 hours of walking and standing in hot weather.
