The Battle of Springfield was one of the last major engagements of the Revolutionary War fought in the northern colonies, and it unfolded practically in our backyard — Union County, N.J. — on June 23, 1780. It’s a battle that doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves, but it played a crucial role in keeping the British from marching on to capture the New Jersey interior and threaten Washington’s army at Morristown.
By the summer of 1780, the British were frustrated. Their earlier attempts to break Washington’s defensive line in New Jersey had failed. So, they tried again, sending a large force from Staten Island toward the interior of New Jersey, hoping to smash through the militia and Continental troops guarding the passes.
Their route took them through Springfield, and before that the village known as Connecticut Farms. Springfield was a village that sat at the gateway to the Watchung Mountains — and behind those mountains was Washington’s main army a short level distance to Morristown.
British and Hessian troops pushed west from Elizabethtown Point, after coming across the water from Staten Island.
New Jersey militia and Continental troops under General Nathanael Greene fought a series of delaying actions.
Bridges over the Rahway River were key choke points — especially the Vauxhall Bridge and the Springfield Bridge. American forces held these crossings stubbornly, forcing the British to fight for every yard.
Local connections...Colonel Matthias Ogden who commanded the 1st NJ Regiment and senior officer in the field, along with Major Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee (the father of Robert E. Lee), were in charge of defending a bridge from the British troops. The enemy was performing a flanking maneuver; this by British and Loyalist forces, including the Queen’s Rangers. Aaron Ogden — future NJ governor — was also there from the Ogden family as a captain and aide-de-camp. The bridge was known as Littell’s Bridge, the same family as had a hotel in Dover, the Franklin House in Franklin Furnace, and a long legacy of representing Sussex County in the New Jersey state legislature.
Once the British reached the village, the fighting intensified. The Americans fell back slowly, buying time for Greene to form a stronger defensive line. The British eventually burned much of Springfield, including homes and the Presbyterian Church, before withdrawing.
The British failed to break through to the mountains. Washington’s army remained secure. This was an American strategic victory.
It was the last major battle fought in the North before the war shifted decisively to the South. The British never again attempted a major inland offensive in New Jersey.
The Battle of Springfield showed the growing strength of the New Jersey militia and the coordination that helped rally troops and formations. It also raised the awareness of Greene’s skill as a commander.
That the British could no longer easily intimidate or overrun American positions in the North.
It’s sometimes called “the forgotten victory”, but it helped keep the war alive long enough for the decisive campaigns to unfold later.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com He is the author of “Last Signer of the Declaration of Independence: Lewis Morris III.”