The Battle of Punk Hill was a relatively minor skirmish in the greater

Forage War The Forage War was a partisan (military), partisan campaign consisting of numerous small skirmishes that took place in New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War between January and March 1777, following the battles of Battle of Trenton, Tr ...

of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, but it narrowly missed being a major turning point. Approximately 3,000 British regulars left Amboy for the Punk Hill area, ostensibly on a foraging expedition. General William Maxwell observed this movement from a nearby hill and sent a small detachment to harass the British on the left and sent a larger force to the right towards

Bonhamtown Bonhamtown is a section of Edison in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. History The area was named after Nicholas Bonham, a freeholder from the 17th century. Along with New Dover, New Durham, and Stelton, it is one of the ...

(later to became part of

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a Township (New Jersey), township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central Jersey, Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan River, Raritan Valley r ...

), hoping to outflank them. The larger force consisted of two detachments, one from Col. Potter's Pennsylvania militia and commanded by Col. Cook. the other detachment was from Col. Thacher's New England troops. Cook's and Thacher's men joined forces approximately one half mile out and almost immediately encountered and engaged a substantial advanced party of British. General Maxwell sent Col. Martin and Lt. Col. Lindley to reinforce them quickly and began to assembling his main force to follow. The British also sent reinforcements but they were cut off by another regiment of Americans. That British reinforcements retreated in confusion, sparking a general panic among their comrades and turning the entire engagement into a rout. The Americans chased them as far as Bonhamtown and

Metuchen Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, alon ...

, but did not have sufficient numbers or cover to continue the pursuit. There were at least four British killed and three taken prisoner. One of the prisoners revealed that General Howe had been at Bonhamtown during the engagement. Had Maxwell known this beforehand, the Battle of Punk Hill could have been a pivotal moment in the war.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Punk Hill, Battle of 1777 1777 in New Jersey Conflicts in 1777 Battles involving the United States Battles involving Great Britain Edison, New Jersey Punk Hill