Conant Cone

[115] CONANT CONE, son of Joseph Cone [61] and Mar­tha Spencer, b. East Haddam July 6, 1760, m. Alice Houghton, second dau. of Joab Houghton May, 1780. She d. June 3, 1824, aged 62 years. lie was a gallant soldier during Revolutionary War, enlisting Feb. 16, 1777, for three years in Capt. Eliphalet lIolmes's company, in regiment commanded by Col. Jedidiah Huntington, of Connecticut Line. Took the field at Peekskill, N. Y., spring of 1777. Remained in camp until ordered to Gen. Washington's army in Pennsylvania in Sept. 1777. Was in battle of Germantown. Wintered at Valley Forge 1777-8. Was in battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778, and served in 1779 in repelling forces in Gen. Tryon's "Invasion," and was discharged Feb. 16, 1780. He removed to Princeton, N. J., soon after marriage, and all his ch. were born there. He died insane in 1799.

Ch.

237. AMELIA. b. 1782; d. unm. 1856.

238.• SPENCER H.. b. April 30. 1785, Tn. Sally W. Morrell; d. Aug. 28, 1855. 239. ELIZA, b. 1787, m. .7ames Lesley; d. April 24, 1823.

240.• CATHERINE, b. 1790, m. John Norval; d. March 20, 1821.

241.• JOSEPH, b. 1793, m. Mary Cave; d. Jan. 4, 1830.

242. MARTHA, b. 1795; d. unm. Dec. 2, 1840.

The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777 at Germantown, Pennsylvania. The British victory in this battle ensured that Philadelphia, the capital of the revolutionary government of the Thirteen Colonies, would remain in British hands throughout the winter of 1777-1778.

The campaign in Philadelphia had begun quite badly for the American forces. Washington and the Continental Army had suffered successive defeats at the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Paoli that left Philadelphia defenseless. After the seizure of the revolutionary capital by Charles Cornwallis on September 26, 1777, William Howe left 3,000 men to defend it and moved 9,000[3] men to Germantown, 5 miles (8.0 km) north, determined to locate and destroy the American forces. Howe established his headquarters at Stenton, the former country home of James Logan.

With Howe's forces thus divided, Washington saw an opportunity to confront the British. He decided to attack the British garrison in Germantown as the last effort of the year before the onset of winter. His plan was to attack the British at night with four columns from different directions, with the goal of creating a double envelopment. Washington hoped to surprise the British and Hessian armies in much the same way he had surprised the Hessians at the Battle of Trenton.

Setting and movement to battle

British and Hessian Positions

Germantown was a hamlet of stone houses spreading from what is now known as Mount Airy on the north to what is now Market Square in the south.[8] Extending southwest from Market Square was Schoolhouse Lane, running a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the point where Wissahickon Creek emptied from a steep gorge into the Schuylkill River. Gen. William Howe had established a base camp along the high ground of Schoolhouse and Church lanes. The western wing of the camp, under the command of the Hessian general Wilhelm von Knyphausen, had a picket of two jaeger battalions at its left flank on the high ground above the mouth of the Wissahickon. A Hessian brigade and two British brigades camped along Market Square, and east of there were two British brigades under the command of Gen. James Grant, as well as two squadrons of dragoons, and the 1st Light Infantry battalion. The Queen's Rangers, a New York loyalist unit, covered the right flank.

The Americans March Out

After dusk on October 3, the American army began the 16 miles (26 km) southward march to Germantown in complete darkness. As the attack was to occur before dawn, the soldiers were instructed to put a piece of white paper on their hat to identify friend from foe.[9] They were not detected by the jaeger pickets, and the British and Hessian forces remained unaware that American troops were advancing on them. For the Americans, it seemed their attempt to repeat their success at the Battle of Trenton was going to succeed. The darkness made communications between the columns very difficult, and progress was slower as expected. At dawn, most of the American forces were well short of their intended attack positions, and they had lost the element of surprise.

One American column, however, consisting of militia, had managed to reach the British camp. These troops halted near the mouth of Wissahickon Creek, firing a few rounds from their cannon at Knyphausen's camp before withdrawing. The three remaining columns continued their advance. The one under the command of General John Sullivan, moved down Germantown Road, the column of New Jersey militia under the command of General William Smallwood moved down Skippack Road to Whitemarsh Church Road and from there to Old York Road to attack the British right flank, and the one under the command of General Nathanael Greene, which consisted of Greene's and General Adam Stephen's divisions and General Alexander McDougall's brigade, moved down Limekiln Road.

A thick fog clouded the battlefield throughout the day.

The vanguard of Sullivan's column, on Germantown Road, launched the battle when they opened fire on the British pickets of light infantry at Mount Airy just as the sun was rising at around 5:00 am. The British pickets resisted American advance and fired their guns in alarm. Howe rode forward, thinking that they were being attacked by foraging or skirmishing parties. It took a substantial part of Sullivan's division to finally overwhelm the British pickets and drive them back into Germantown.

Now cut off from the main British and Hessian force, British Col. Musgrave caused his six companies of troops from the 40th Regiment, around 120 men, to fortify the stone house of Chief Justice Chew, called Cliveden. The Americans launched furious assaults against Cliveden, but the greatly outnumbered defenders beat them back, inflicting heavy casualties. Gen. Washington called a council of war to decide how to deal with the distraction. Some of the officers favored bypassing Cliveden and leaving a regiment behind to deal with it. However, Brig. Gen. Henry Knox recommended to Washington that it was unwise to allow a garrison in the rear of a forward advance to remain under enemy control. Washington concurred.

Gen. William Maxwell's brigade, which had been held in the reserve of the American forces, was brought forward to storm Cliveden, while Knox, who was Washington's artillery commander, positioned four three pounders out of musket range and fired point blank shots against the mansion. However, the thick walls of Cliveden withstood the bombardments. Infantry assaults launched against the mansion were cut down, causing heavy casualties. The few Americans who managed to get inside were shot or bayoneted. It was becoming clear that Cliveden was not going to be taken easily.

Meanwhile, Gen. Nathanael Greene's column on Limekiln Road caught up with the American forces at Germantown. Its vanguard engaged the British pickets at Luken's Mill and drove them off after a savage skirmish. Adding to the heavy fog that already obscured the Americans' view of the enemy was the smoke from cannons and muskets, and Greene's column was thrown into disarray and confusion. One of Greene's brigades, under the command of Gen. Stephen, veered off course and began following Meetinghouse Road instead of rendezvousing at Market Square with the rest of Greene's forces. The wayward brigade collided with the rest of American Gen. Wayne's brigade and mistook them for the redcoats. The two American brigades opened heavy fire on each other, became badly disorganized, and fled. The withdrawal of Wayne's brigade left Conway's left flank unsupported.

In the north, an American column led by McDougall came under attack by the Tory Loyalist troops of the Queen's Rangers and the Guards of the British reserve. After a savage battle between the two, McDougall's brigade was forced to retreat, suffering heavy losses. Still convinced, however, that they could win, the Colonial 9th Virginian troops of Greene's column launched a savage attack on the British and Hessian line as planned, managing to break through and capturing a number of prisoners. However, they were soon surrounded by two British brigades who launched a devastating countercharge, led by Gen. Cornwallis. Cut off completely, the 9th Virginian Regiment was forced to surrender. Greene, upon learning of the main army's defeat and withdrawal, realized that he stood alone against the whole British and Hessian force, so he withdrew as well.

The large, main attacks on the British and Hessian camp had been repulsed with heavy casualties. Washington ordered Armstrong and Smallwood's men to withdraw. Maxwell's brigade, still having failed to capture the Chew House, was forced to fall back. Part of the British army rushed forward and routed retreating Americans, pursuing them for some nine miles before giving up the chase in the face of resistance from Greene's infantry, Wayne's artillery guns and a detachment of dragoons, as well as the nightfall.

Aftermath Casualties

Of the 11,000 men Washington led into battle, 152 (30 officers and 122 men) were killed and 521 were wounded (117 officers and 404 men).[5] Over 400 were captured, including Colonel Mathews and the entire 9th Virginia regiment. [5] Gen. Francis Nash had his left leg taken off by a cannon ball, and died on October 8 at the home of Adam Gotwals. His body was interred with military honors on October 9 at the Mennonite Meetinghouse in Towamencin. [10] Maj. John White, who was shot at Cliveden, died on October 10. [11] Lt. Col. William Smith, who was wounded carrying the flag of truce to Cliveden, also died from his wounds. [11] In all, 57 Americans were killed attacking the Chew House. [12]

Gen. Stephen was later court-martialed and cashiered from military service when it was discovered he was intoxicated during the battle. [13] Command of his division was given to the Marquis de Lafayette.

British casualties were 70 killed (4 officers and 66 men) and 450 wounded (30 officers and 420 men). [4] British officers killed in action included Gen. James Agnew and Lt. Col. John Bird. Lt. Col. Walcott of the 5th Regiment of Foot was mortally wounded.

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, was the site of the camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War. This was a time of great suffering for George Washington's Army, but it was also a time of retraining and rejuvenation.

With the winter setting in and the prospects for campaigning being greatly diminished, General George Washington sought quarters for his men. Washington and his troops had just fought what was to be the last major engagement of 1777 at the Battle of White Marsh (or Edge Hill). He devised to pull his troops from their present encampment in the White Marsh area (now Fort Washington State Park) and move to a more secure location for the coming winter. Though several locations were proposed, he selected Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 22 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It proved to be an excellent choice. Named for an iron forge on Valley Creek, the area was close enough to the British to keep their raiding and foraging parties out of the interior of Pennsylvania, yet far enough away to halt the threat of British surprise attacks. The high ground of Mount Joy and the adjoining elevated ground of Mount Misery combined with the Schuylkill River to the north, made the area easily defensible.

On December 19, 1777, when Washington's poorly fed, ill-equipped army, weary from long marches, struggled into Valley Forge, winds blew as the 12,000 Continentals prepared for winter's fury. Grounds for brigade encampments were selected, and defense lines were planned and begun. Though construction of more than 1,000 huts provided shelter, it did little to offset the critical shortages that continually plagued the army.

The men are under cover within 6 weeks. The first properly constructed hut appears in three days. One other hut, which requires 80 logs, and whose timber had to be collected from miles away, goes up in one week with the use of only one axe. The men describe their lodgings as "cozy and comfortable quarters" and they are proud of the structures they have built. These huts provided sufficient protection from the moderately cold, but mainly wet and damp conditions of the mild, but typical Pennsylvania winter of 1777-78. Snow was limited, and small in amounts. Alternating freezing and melting of snow and ice makes it impossible to keep dry and allows for disease to fester.

Soldiers received irregular supplies of meat and bread, some getting their only nourishment from "firecake," a tasteless mixture of flour and water. However, due to the talents of Baker General Christopher Ludwig, the men at Valley Forge more often than not received fresh baked soft bread, about one pound daily. So severe were conditions at times that Washington despaired "that unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place ... this Army must inevitably ... Starve, dissolve, or disperse, in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can." Animals fared no better. General Henry Knox, Washington's Chief of Artillery, wrote that hundreds of horses either starved to death or died of exhaustion.

Clothing, too, was wholly inadequate. Long marches had destroyed shoes. Blankets were scarce. Tattered garments were seldom replaced. At one point these shortages caused nearly 4,000 men to be listed as unfit for duty.

Undernourished and poorly clothed, living in crowded, damp quarters, the army was ravaged by sickness and disease. Typhus, typhoid, dysentery, and pneumonia were among the killers that felled as many as 2,000 men that winter. Although Washington repeatedly petitioned for relief, the Congress was unable to provide it, and the soldiers continued to suffer. Women, relatives of enlisted men, alleviated some of the suffering by providing valuable services such as laundry and nursing that the army desperately needed.

Upgrading military efficiency, morale, and discipline were as vital to the army's well-being as was its source of supply. The army had been handicapped in battle because unit training was administered from a variety of field manuals, making coordinated battle movements awkward and difficult. The soldiers were trained, but not uniformly. The task of developing and carrying out an effective training program fell to Baron Friedrich von Steuben. This skilled Prussian drill master, recently arrived from Europe, tirelessly drilled and scolded the regiments into an effective fighting force. Intensive daily training, coupled with von Steuben's forceful manner, instilled in the men renewed confidence in themselves and their ability to succeed.[1]

Recovering with the army over the 1778 winter & spring from a foot injury from Philadelphia, then Commander Benedict Arnold also helped boost morale by leading the soldiers on post with an "Oath of Allegiance" to the United States. This was the first recorded oath of its kind, and is the basis of the oath Americans use today when achieving citizenship from nations abroad.

A group of people called regimental camp followers also help increase the morale of the soldiers and provide necessary support to the men. Camp Followers at Valley Forge consisted of the families, wives, children, mothers and sisters of the soldiers. These camp followers often served as laundresses, cleaning and mending the uniforms of the soldiers. Washington understands a soldier will die quickly from disease if his uniform is dirty and thread bare. These women and children also provide the emotional support to a soldier, allowing them to remain at camp and continue on training and soldiering during the winter months. These women would gain half the rations of soldiers, half the wages of a soldier as well as a half pension after the war if they had done enough work. Children would receive quarter rations if enough work was done. Women are relegated to the back of the column when marching and are forbidden to ride on wagons. Camp followers faced the issues of disease along with the soldiers. While excellent scavengers, some women lost their lives on the battlefield trying to obtain goods off of wounded or dead soldiers. On average at Valley Forge, the ratio was 1 woman to every 44 men, adding up to around 500 women.

Soon word of the British departure from Philadelphia brought a frenzied activity to the ranks of the Continental Army. On June 19, 1778, six months after its arrival, the army marched away from Valley Forge in pursuit of the British who were moving toward New York. An ordeal had ended. The war would last for another five years, but for Washington, his men, and the nation to which they sought to give birth, a decisive victory had been won — a victory not of weapons but of will

The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in New Jersey. The main Continental Army under George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army's column led by Sir Henry Clinton as they left Freehold Court-House (modern Freehold Borough).

In May of 1778, The British commander, General Clinton in Philadelphia, faced with a war with France decided it was prudent to protect New York City and Florida. He sent 3000 troops to protect Florida by sea. Then On June 18, the British began to evacuate Philadelphia, crossing New Jersey to go to New York City. They had 11,000 troops, a thousand loyalists and a baggage train 12 miles (19 km) long. As the British advanced, the Americans made it painful for them. They started burning bridges, muddying wells and cutting trees across roads.

General Lee advises to await developments-he doesn't want to commit the army against the of the British regulars. In spite of Lee, Washington determined that the British were vulnerable to attack as they spread out across the state with their baggage trains, and moved from Valley Forge into New Jersey in pursuit.

Washington was still undecided as to whether he should risk an attack on the British column while it was on the march. He held a meeting of his command staff, the Council of War, and attempted to find some resolve in that matter. The council, however, was quite divided on the issue. The only unifying theme was that none of Washington's generals advised in favor of a general action. Brig Gen Anthony Wayne, the boldest of the staff, and Maj Gen Marquis de Lafayette, the youngest of the staff, urged for a partial attack on the British column while it was strung out on the road. Lee was still cautious. He advised only guerrilla action to harass the British column. On 26, June 1778, Washington sided with a more bold approach but did not go so far as issuing orders for a general action. He sent almost one-half of his army as an advance force to strike at the rear of the British when Clinton made the eminent move out of Monmouth Courthouse, which occurred on 28, June 1778.

Battle of Monmouth

The Continental Army moved on northeast from Valley Forge to attack. General Charles Lee was handed the command, and elements of his command - General Wayne's brigade supported by General Knox's artillery, attacked the British column's flank. When the British turned to attack him, Lee ordered a general retreat, and his soldiers soon became disorganized. Washington sent the dejected Lee to the rear, then personally rallied the troops and repelled two counterattacks referred to as "Washington's Advance". The battle was a standoff. With a high of over 100 °F (38 °C). both sides lost almost as many men to heat stroke as to the enemy. Both sides retired at nightfall.

Eventually exhaustion forced Clinton to call off the attack. Washington tried to organize a counterattack, but the daylight had begun to fade and his exhausted troops could fight on no longer. By about six in the evening the fighting was over. Clinton was happy that his main objective of the day, to cover his retreat, had been achieved. The next morning the Americans woke to find the British had slipped away during the night. The rest of the march to Sandy Hook went without incident, and on July 1 the British army reached the safety of New York City, from where they were evacuated to New York.

This battle was the first test of Steuben's re-trained Continental troops. They withstood the trial well given the conditions due to Steuben's knowledge of Prussian Army training programs. The battle was technically a tactical draw, as it had no particular benefit for either side, but the Americans were left on the field, with the British having withdrawn.

Aftermath

The battle was the last major engagement of the northern theater, and the largest one-day battle of the war when measured in terms of participants. Lee was later court-martialed for his actions at the Village Inn located in the center of Englishtown.[4] He was found guilty. Monmouth is considered the second of two major battles over the course of the war in which Washington's army faced British Regulars on straightforward terms, in a set-piece field battle and were not defeated.

The legend of "Molly Pitcher" is usually associated with this battle. According to one story, she was a housewife who came to battle with her husband and took his place at the cannon after he fell. Based on a true incident, the story idea is embellished and has become a legend over the years. Two places on the battlefield are marked as sites of the Molly Pitcher Spring.[5]

Although never accorded formal preservation, Monmouth Battlefield is one of the best preserved of the Revolutionary War battlefields.[5] Each year during the last weekend in June, the Battle of Monmouth is reenacted at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in modern Freehold Township and Manalapan