Battle of Bound Brook

Overview

The Battle of Bound Brook was a surprise attack by British and Hessian forces on a Continental Army outpost in Bound Brook, New Jersey, during the American Revolutionary War. The British defeated the garrison, whose troops were either captured or fled. U.S. commander Major General Benjamin Lincoln left quickly, abandoning papers and personal effects.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Bound Brook demonstrated the vulnerability of Continental Army outpost positions in New Jersey during the 1777 campaign season. A British and Hessian force of 4,000 achieved complete surprise against the garrison, forcing its troops to flee or be captured and inflicting 120 casualties on American forces. The speed of the collapse was underscored by the flight of Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who abandoned his papers and personal effects. The engagement highlighted the difficulty the Continental Army faced in holding forward positions against a numerically superior and operationally aggressive British force during the New Jersey phase of the war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)