Henry Monckton (13 July 1740 – 28 June 1778) was the fourth son of

John Monckton, 1st Viscount Galway John Monckton (1695 – 15 July 1751) of Serlby, Nottinghamshire, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1727 and 1751. He was elevated to the Irish peerage as the first Viscount Galway in 1727. Ear ...

, and the younger half-brother of the more famous

Robert Monckton Lieutenant-General Robert Monckton (24 June 1726 – 21 May 1782) was an officer of the British Army and colonial administrator in British North America. He had a distinguished military and political career, being second in command to General J ...

. During 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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

he led a battalion of converged British

grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

while a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. He was wounded at

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

during the

New York and New Jersey campaign The New York and New Jersey campaign in 1776 and the winter months of 1777 was a series of American Revolutionary War battles for control of the Port of New York and New Jersey, Port of New York and the state of New Jersey, fought between Kingdom ...

in 1776. He led a temporary brigade at

Assunpink Creek Assunpink Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in western New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden S ...

. In the

Philadelphia campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to draw ...

of 1777, he led a grenadier battalion at both the

Battle of Brandywine The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Ame ...

and the

Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...

. He was killed leading his soldiers at the

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, co ...

on 28 June 1778.

Early career

Born on 13 July 1740, Monckton was the fourth son of

, although the second by his second wife, Jane Westenra of Rathleagh,

Queen's County, Ireland County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 ...

.Dodge, ''Monckton'' His older half-brother

(1726–1782) became a high ranking

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

in the British army, as later did his nephew, Henry, the son of his brother

Edward Monckton Edward Monckton (3 November 1744 – 1 July 1832) was a British colonial administrator and nabob, a Whig politician, a member of parliament for 32 years, and an important Staffordshire landowner. Background and early life Monckton was the ...

, a

nabob A nabob is a conspicuously wealthy man deriving his fortune in the east, especially in India during the 18th century with the privately held East India Company. Etymology ''Nabob'' is an Anglo-Indian term that came to English from Urdu, poss ...

and Member of Parliament. Monckton's only sister,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, was a famous blue-stocking and later presided over an important literary and political salon. Monckton commanded the

45th Foot The 45th (Nottinghamshire) (Sherwood Foresters) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1741. The regiment saw action during Father Le Loutre's War, the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War as we ...

from 25 July 1771 until 1772.Boatner, 711 He was wounded at the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

on 22 August 1776, while leading the 1st Grenadier Battalion in the army of

Sir William Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB PC (10 August 172912 July 1814) was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three brot ...

with the rank of

. At time of the

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American m ...

on 26 December 1776, he served as acting commander of Major General James Robertson's 1st British Brigade at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. After the Trenton disaster, he took command of an ''ad hoc'' brigade consisting of

William Medows General Sir William Medows KB (31 December 1738 – 14 November 1813) was an Englishman and a general in the British Army. He entered the army in 1756 and saw action in North America, the Cape, and India. In 1788 he was appointed Governor of Bom ...

' 1st Grenadier Battalion, his own 2nd Grenadier Battalion, and James Ogilvie's 2nd Guards Battalion. Leading this force, he went to New Jersey with

Lord Charles Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army General officer, general and official ...

and fought at the

Battle of the Assunpink Creek The Battle of the Assunpink Creek, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, was a battle between American and British troops that took place in and around Trenton, New Jersey, on January 2, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, a ...

on 2 January 1777. The following day,

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

outmaneuvered the British and defeated them at the

Battle of Princeton The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the comman ...

. In the aftermath, Cornwallis made a rapid retreat to his base at

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the

on 11 September 1777, Monckton led the 2nd Grenadier Battalion, which was formed from 15 grenadier companies taken from the regiments of foot. As the British advanced south from Osborne's Hill, the left flank of the 2nd Grenadiers touched the Birmingham road while the 1st Grenadiers deployed on their right. The battalion struck

Thomas Conway Thomas Conway (February 27, 1735 – c. 1800) served as a major general in the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He became involved with the alleged Conway Cabal with Horatio Gates. He later served with Émigré for ...

's 3rd Pennsylvania Brigade, driving it back. Near sunset, the advancing 2nd Grenadiers walked into a trap set by

George Weedon George Weedon (1734–1793) was an American soldier during the Revolutionary War from Fredericksburg, Colony of Virginia. He served as a brigadier general in the Continental Army and later in the Virginia militia. After the Revolutionary War e ...

's fresh Virginia brigade, which was deployed on a reverse slope with its right flank thrown forward so as to take the British line in enfilade. Once he found his troops in a tight spot, Monckton asked Hessian Captain

Johann von Ewald Johann von Ewald (20 March 1744 – 25 June 1813) was a German military officer from Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Kassel. After first serving in the Seven Years' War, he was the commander of the jäger (military), Jäger corps of the Hessi ...

to ride back and summon reinforcements. Ewald located

James Agnew Sir James Willson Agnew (2 October 1815 – 8 November 1901) was an Irish-born Australian politician, who was Premier of Tasmania from 1886 to 1887. Early life Agnew was born in Ballyclare, Ireland and educated at London, Paris and Glasgow; h ...

who brought his 4th Brigade up on Monckton's left. Supported by two 6-pound cannons, the British finally dislodged the Americans as darkness fell, but not before the

64th Foot The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was created as the 2nd Battalion, 11th Regiment of Foot in 1756, redesignated as the 64th Regiment of Foot in 1758, and took a county titl ...

lost 47 casualties. The grenadiers also suffered serious losses at Brandywine. Of the 10 British officers killed in the engagement, seven were from the two grenadier battalions, and an additional seven grenadier officers were wounded, including Medows, shot in the arm. On 26 September, the British Army marched into the rebel capital of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. One witness remembered Monckton leading both British grenadier battalions. His circle of friends among the British officers included

Sir George Osborn, 4th Baronet Sir George Osborn, 4th Baronet (10 May 1742 – 29 June 1818) was born into the British aristocracy. He fought in the American Revolutionary War as a British officer. He served in the House of Commons from 1769 to 1784 - before, during, and after ...

, William Harcourt,

Richard FitzPatrick General Richard FitzPatrick (24 January 174825 April 1813), styled The Honourable from birth, was an Anglo-Irish soldier, wit, poet, and Whig politician. He sat in the British House of Commons for 39 years from 1774 to 1813, and was a "sworn b ...

, and

Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet (22 December 1744 – 23 April 1787), of Wrottesley Hall in Staffordshire, was a British army officer and politician who was a Member of the British House of Commons from 1768 to 1787. Background and early life ...

. On 4 October, the

was fought. Monckton double-timed his grenadiers from their barracks in Philadelphia to the field of action. On the way they passed the slower-moving Hessian grenadiers. Led by Cornwallis, the grenadiers arrived just as the American attack collapsed. They led the pursuit up Germantown Road as far as Chestnut Hill.

Death at Monmouth

In March 1778, Secretary of State for the American Colonies

George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, PC (26 January 1716 – 26 August 1785), styled The Honourable George Sackville until 1720, Lord George Sackville from 1720 to 1770 and Lord George Germain from 1770 to 1782, was a British soldier and p ...

, sent orders permitting the evacuation of Philadelphia. Worried about being trapped in the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

by a French fleet, the new British commander Henry Clinton determined to move most of his army to New York by land. The naval transports were packed with most of the army's women and children, 3,000 loyalist civilians, sick soldiers, and the unreliable

Ansbach-Bayreuth The Principality or Margraviate of (Brandenburg-)Ansbach (german: Fürstentum Ansbach or ) was a principality in the Holy Roman Empire centered on the Franconian city of Ansbach. The ruling Hohenzollern princes of the land were known as margra ...

mercenaries. The transports set sail early on 18 June. That day, Philadelphia was abandoned and Clinton's army marched east to

Haddonfield, New Jersey :''Not the fictional Illinois town from the Halloween film series.'' Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593,

. From there Clinton's army marched in a northeasterly direction via Mount Holly, Bordentown,

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in T ...

, and Imlaystown.

Wilhelm von Knyphausen Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr von Innhausen und Knyphausen Some documents produced after 1806 referred to him as Reichsfreiherr Wilhelm zu Innhausen und Knyphausen while some documents after 1919 use Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen. ...

's leading division reached Monmouth Court House on 26 June, to be joined shortly by Cornwallis' division. After his army rested on the 26th and 27th, Clinton planned to move northeast to

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

where naval transports would take his army to New York. Meanwhile, Washington moved his army northeast from

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Tow ...

and crossed the Delaware at Coryell's Ferry. On 23 June, the American army reached

Hopewell, New Jersey Hopewell is a borough in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. This historical settlement is located within the heart of the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,918, a decreas ...

, and moved east to intercept Clinton. After some hesitation, Washington appointed his second-in-command, Charles Lee to lead his advance guard. At 4:00 a.m., on 28 June, Knyphausen's division began its march from Monmouth Court House, followed at 8:00 a.m. by Cornwallis' division. Lee failed to scout the terrain and told his subordinates that he had no plan of battle other than to act according to circumstances. He only began moving forward at 7:00 a.m. with 5,000 troops and 10 cannons. When Lee arrived near the British positions, Clinton turned back to assist his covering party with strong rear guard forces, including the two grenadier battalions. After some attacks miscarried, Lee's division retreated with Clinton in pursuit. Eleazer Oswald

At length, Lee's withdrawing troops met Washington's main body moving forward. Washington relieved Lee of command, but apparently relented and allowed Lee to cobble together a defensive line with the troops at hand. He placed Varnum's Brigade, then under the command of

Jeremiah Olney Jeremiah Olney (1749 – 10 November 1812) was born into an old family from Rhode Island. He formed a company of infantry from that state at the start of the American Revolutionary War. After serving as captain in 1776, he was promoted to lie ...

behind a hedgerow. A detachment under

Henry Livingston Jr. Henry Beekman Livingston Jr. (October 13, 1748 – February 29, 1828) has been proposed as being the uncredited author of the poem '' A Visit from St. Nicholas'', more popularly known (after its first line) as ''The Night Before Christmas''. Cr ...

took position on Olney's left. Farther to the left,

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

directed soldiers led by Walter Stewart and

Nathaniel Ramsey Nathaniel Ramsey (May 1, 1741– October 23, 1817) was an American lawyer and soldier from Cecil County, Maryland, Cecil County, Maryland. Ramsey fought in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, and was a member of the Congress of ...

into some woods. Lee's chief of artillery,

Eleazer Oswald Eleazer Oswald (baptized bp 2 February 1750/51 – 30 September 1795) was born at Falmouth, Cornwall, in England, but moved to British America as a young man. He became apprenticed to a printer, John Holt of Williamsburg, Virginia, and marrie ...

placed two cannons on Olney's right and two more in support of Wayne's troops. Stewart and Ramsey ambushed the 1st Guards Battalion as it passed by. Though their commander Colonel Henry Trelawney and 40 men were hit, the

Brigade of Guards The Brigade of Guards was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1856 to 1968. It was commanded by the Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for administering the guards regiments. After the Second Wor ...

and two companies of the 1st Grenadier Battalion rushed the woods. In a hard-fought action, the Americans were flushed from the trees and set upon by the

16th Light Dragoons The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922. History Early war ...

in the open. Stewart was wounded and Ramsey wounded and captured as their commands raced to cross a bridge to the west side of the ravine. The 16th Light Dragoons tried to charge the hedgerow but Olney's men repulsed them with a blast of gunfire. Clinton personally led forward the 2nd Grenadiers and one wing of the 1st Grenadiers, calling out, "Charge, grenadiers, never heed forming." Case shot from Oswald's guns ripped into the grenadiers from a range of , but they stormed the hedgerow anyway, driving back Olney's men. During the desperate action, Washington's chief of artillery

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...

ordered Oswald to pull back. Covered by Olney's brigade, he managed to get across the bridge without losing any guns. The action was so chaotic that a party of 16 grenadiers found themselves amid Olney's brigade, but the Americans were so focused on getting away that they paid no attention to their enemies. Sometime during the action at the hedgerow, a British officer saw Monckton fall, struck by grape shot. He detailed some of his soldiers to retrieve his commander, but apparently this was not done. After the battle some men of the

1st Pennsylvania Regiment The 1st Pennsylvania Regiment - originally mustered as the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles; also known as the 1st Continental Line and 1st Continental Regiment, was raised under the command of Colonel William Thompson (general), William Thompson for se ...

found Monckton. The mortally wounded officer was taken to the

Old Tennent Church Old Tennent Church is a Presbyterian church located at 450 Tennent Road in the Tennent neighborhood of Manalapan, New Jersey. The congregation was founded in 1692 and played a prominent role in the founding of Presbyterianism in America. The cur ...

where he died the same day. Oddly, Clinton did not mention Monckton in his report of the battle. However, Hessian Adjutant General Carl Leopold Baurmeister wrote, "Colonel Monckton was killed, a great loss indeed." Monckton is buried in the

Old Tennent Cemetery The Old Tennent Cemetery is a non-denominational community cemetery adjacent to the Old Tennent Church in Manalapan, New Jersey, with which it was affiliated until 1910. The cemetery was established in 1731, when the congregation moved from its lo ...

Manalapan, New Jersey Manalapan Township (, ) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located within the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of ...

. The inscription on his grave marker reads: "Lt. Col. Henry Monckton who on the plains of Monmouth 28 June 1778 sealed with his life his duty and devotion to his king and country. This memorial erected by Samuel Fryer whose father a subject of Great Britain sleeps in an unknown grave." Because he was found by men of the 1st Pennsylvania, a legend grew up that Monckton was killed while attacking that regiment late in the battle. It was supposed that they not only recovered his body but the colors of his regiment. In fact, the grenadier battalions carried no colors and Monckton fell around noon. In one account, Monckton's mortal wounding and the loss of the colors came late in the day at the hands of Anthony Wayne's troops in front of Washington's main position. In another account, Monckton exhorted his men before the fatal attack saying, "On to the day!" Meanwhile, on the American side, Wayne urged his soldiers, "Steady! Steady boys! Wait for the word and pick off the king's birds."Preston, p. 331.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Monckton, Henry British military personnel killed in the American Revolutionary War British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War Younger sons of viscounts 1740 births 1778 deaths Sherwood Foresters officers Burials at Old Tennent Cemetery