2019 Assault on Fort Mercer Reenactment
(aka Battle of Red Bank Battlefield Reenactment)
Celebrate America’s heroes at the Assault on Fort Mercer Reenactment, part of the 18th Century Field Day on October 27, 2019 at Red Bank Battle Field Park in National Park, NJ. Eighteenth Century Field Day is a wonderful tradition that begins with a 10 mile run from Haddonfield to National Park that mirrors the run that Jonas Cattel made in 1777 when he went to warn the American patriots the Hessians were coming to attack Fort Mercer.
Assault on Fort Mercer Reenactment (aka Battle of Red Bank Battlefield Reenactment)
The Assault on Fort Mercer Reenactment commemorate the 1777 assault on Fort Mercer on the grounds surrounding the original fort. Sutlers and craft people will be set up among the exhibitors near the historic Whitall House as well.
Free Admission – Public Welcome
18th Century Field Day Schedule
10:00 am The Colonial Conjurer
10:30 am Awards Ceremony
11:00 am First Battle Reenactment
11:30 am The colonial Conjurer
12:00 pm Children’s Muster Drill
12:30 pm John Bartram Speaks
1:00 pm Sea Dogs Shenanigans
1:30 pm Children’s Muster Drill
2:00 pm Second Battle Reenactment
2:30 pm Sea Dogs Shenanigans
3:00 pm A Soldier’s Life
Reenactor Information
Full and probationary members of the Continental Line and British Brigade are invited to participate in the commemoration of the 17TT assault on Fort Mercer on the grounds surrounding the original fort in National Park, New Jersey. The 240th anniversary of this important Philadelphia Campaign attack should be especially interesting and action-filled event.
[su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”Participant Detail”] Troops should be at Fort Mercer no later than 10 a.m. An officers meeting will take place in front of the Whitall House also at 10 a.m. Two lively tacticals are scheduled for the Assault on Fort Mercer Reenactment: one at 11 a.m. and the other at 2 p.m. As before, the sponsors will provide lunch to all troops and authentically-dressed campfollowers.
Your unit will receive a stipend for each uniformed soldier present on the field and significant additional funds for artillery. Sutlers and crafts people will be set up among the exhibitors near the historic Whitall House as well.
County and park staff go to great effort to make this a hassle-free and successful event for reenactors. From a spectator’s point of view, it is also perhaps the safest reenactment sponsored anywhere: crowds are kept off the field by county employees and there is immediate battlefield cleanup by park staff.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Contact:
Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger (856) 853-3395 or
Freeholder Frank J. DiMarco (856) 853-3386
Location
Red Bank Battlefield Historical Park
100 Hessian Ave
National Park, NJ 08063
856-853-5120
18th-Century Field Day and Jonas Cattell Memorial Run
The Assault on Fort Mercer Reenactment is part of tha larger 18th-Century Field Day and Jonas Cattell Memorial Run held annually at Red Bank Battlefield Park. Enjoy battle reenactments, colonial demonstrators, vendors, food, and fun! Learn about the Battle of Red Bank and why New Jersey is called “The Crossroads of the American Revolution.” Tour the Whitall House and visit with our hearth cookers preparing delicious fall-inspired food. Take in a spectacular sword fight and enjoy a colonial magic show. Cheer on the Jonas Cattell Run participants at the finish line. Fun, food, and activities for everyone!
About Jonas Cattell Memorial Run
At the age of 18, in October 1777, Jonas Cantwell became a hero. At that time, a force of Hessian troops was camped in Haddonfield. Jonas was said to have been apprenticed to a blacksmith in Haddonfield, but had stayed there too late and was arrested by the soldiers for violating curfew. His punishment was to spend the night in jail until first light. During the night, Jonas overheard the Hessian and British soldiers discussing a surprise, early morning attack they were planning for the following day. They planned to march to Fort Mercer on the Delaware River and overthrow the American patriots who were stationed there.
[su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”More about Jonas Cattell”] Jonas Cattell was familiar with all of the back trails in the area. In fact, he was known to have created a number of the trails. When he was released the following morning, Jonas used those back trails and ran the ten miles from Haddonfield to Fort Mercer so he could warn the patriots. Thanks to his knowledge of the area, he arrived well before the Hessians. This warning allowed the Americans to strategically position themselves to defend their fort. Even though the American patriots were outnumbered by three to one, because they were able to prepare for the battle against the Hessians, they were able to defeat the Hessian and British soldiers, and to inflict massive casualties while suffering minimal losses within their own ranks. After the battle, Jonas Cattell enlisted in the American forces and served throughout the Revolutionary War.
The Jonas Cattell Run was started in 1969 to honor this great American hero, and takes place each year during October. The Jonas Cattell Run starts at King’s Court in Haddonfield and finishes at Fort Mercer in National Park, New Jersey. The Haddonfield DAR Chapter presents a plaque to the first teenage runner to reach the finish line at Fort Mercer[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
About the Battle of Red Bank
Late in September 1777, Philadelphia was captured by British General William Howe, with a serious disadvantage. Extensive American river defenses blocked the shipping of food and supplies to the British army and citizens of Philadelphia. A major attack was planned against the garrison at Fort Mercer. A British brigade of about 1,200 Hessians under Colonel Carl Emil Ulrich Von Donop was ferried over to Coopers Ferry (now Camden) spending the night in Haddonfield.
[su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”Read More”] On the morning of October 22, 1777, Colonel Von Donop and his brigade marched on Fort Mercer. Young Jonas Cattell, an apprentice blacksmith, alerted Colonel Christopher Greene that a surprise attack was imminent. Around 4 pm, the attack began. Quickly gaining the old northern section of the fort, the Hessians faced another 10 foot wall and abatis of sharpened tree trunks and branches. The disordered Hessians tried to move forward, but the Americans gained the advantage and held the fort. Hessian casualties amounted to over 500, including the mortally wounded Von Donop; while American counted 14 killed and 23 wounded out of 600. Many of the wounded, including Von Donop were taken to the Whitall house where they were tended by American doctors and Ann Whitall, who had remained in her home. Colonel Von Donop died in another house nearby and was interred with remains of his brigade on the battlefield.
The battle of Red Bank resulted in heavy losses to the British and was a much needed morale builder to Washington’s army, giving new hope and rallying the spirits of the soldiers. This victory coupled with the British defeat at Saratoga, New York, resulted in the French decision to enter the war against Great Britain. (Text from the Fort Mercer Battlefield information signs)[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss the next Assault on Fort Mercer Reenactment, part of the 18th Century Field Day on the second to last Sunday of October at Red Bank Battle Field Park in National Park, New Jersey.
Tags: Assault on Fort Mercer Reenactment, Red Bank Battlefield Reenactment, Fort Mercer 18th-Century Field Day, Red Bank Battlefield Park, Revolutionary War Reenactment, Jonas Cattell Memorial Run