ORDER OF BATTLE // June 26, 1777
Battle of Short Hills
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 13,500 estimated
United States
2,500
Medium-confidence figure
Great Britain
11,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Short Hills brought a Continental Army force of 2,500 under Brigadier General William Alexander (Lord Stirling) into direct confrontation with a British force of approximately 11,000 commanded by Lieutenant General William Howe, with field operations conducted by Cornwallis and Vaughan. The stark disparity in force sizes shaped the engagement's strategic character, as Alexander's command faced one of the war's largest British forces then operating in New Jersey. The action took place in the Scotch Plains and Edison area of New Jersey in the summer of 1777, a period when Howe was maneuvering to position British forces for what would become the Philadelphia campaign. The engagement reflected the broader Continental challenge of contesting British movement through New Jersey with a significantly outnumbered field army.
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