A Field Tour of Fort Mifflin, Fort Mercer, Fort Billings, Cooper’s Ferry and Iron Works Hill  Sunday, November 4, 2012 - based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey November 13, 2011, based in Camden, NJ – led by William M. Welsch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Colours was left flying” - Pvt. Jeremiah Greenman about the finale to the American defense of Fort Mifflin in the fall of 1777.

 

While the land actions of the Philadelphia Campaign, culminating in the winter at Valley Forge, are well known, the River War was equally significant. This tour will address the fight for the Delaware River, as well as some lesser known actions.

 

We will begin on Sunday morning with visits to the Petticoat Bridge and Iron Works Hill battle site in Mount Holly, New Jersey. These small encounters were actually a part of the Trenton campaign of the previous winter, but the iron works were burned by the British during the march to Monmouth in June, 1778. We’ll explore the December, 1776 clash between American militia and Hessians that impacted upon the battle of Trenton – and in the process find out,   “Who was the mystery woman?”

 

Next, we will visit Cooper’s Ferry, the site of the Hessian crossing from Philadelphia into New Jersey prior to their attack on Fort Mercer, and Anthony Wayne’s Foraging Skirmish in March, 1778.

 

Then we’ll travel to Philadelphia to tour Fort Mifflin. It was at this hidden gem that Lt. Col. Samuel Smith’s troops endured fierce British bombardment before conceding the fort and the river to the Howe brothers. Although it has undergone many changes since the revolution, we’ll still be able to see how the fort was critical to controlling the Delaware River.

 

After lunch, we’ll cross over the Delaware to the site of Fort Billings, designed by Thaddeus Kosciusko as part of the river defenses. This hastily built, but never completed fortification, was quickly abandoned. A British landing caused the Americans to retreat.

 

 

We will next visit National Park, a uniquely named community, to explore the remains of Fort Mercer, the site of the critical American victory in the war to control the Delaware. It was here, at this beautiful location, that Col. Christopher Greene and his Rhode Island troops defeated Col. Von Donop’s Hessians. The adjacent Whithall House was used as a hospital after the battle, but not before Ann Whithall retreated to the basement with her spinning wheel when the cannon balls began to fly.

 

Haddonfield’s Indian King Tavern will be our final stop. In this original structure, the New Jersey General Assembly officially moved the colony into statehood and adopted its Great Seal.

 

Join us on Sunday, November 4 as we trace the critical battles for the Delaware River in the Philadelphia Campaign, and visit intriguing off-the-beaten-path sites in revolutionary New Jersey.

About Our Tour Leader

William M. Welsch is an experienced tour guide of battlefields and other historic sites of the American Revolutionary War. He is the founding and current president of the American Revolution Round Table of Richmond, Virginia.

           

 

Sunday, November 4

8:15 AM              Depart from base hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey soon TBA

12:15 PM             Lunch

5:00 PM               Arrive Back at base hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey

 

Registration Fee (lodging not included): $150

 

If You Must Cancel we will refund 100% of your fees paid within 30 days of your notice.

 

What is Included in Your Registration:

·        the services of an expert historian chosen for his knowledge and experience     

·        transportation to all sites

·        lunch

·        refreshments and snacks during the tour

·        map and information package

 

Base Location & Lodging: We will be based at a hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey soon to be announced. Registrants will shortly be sent lodging information, and the information will also be posted on this page as soon as available.