Battle+of+Monmouth

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= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =The Heat of the Battle=

On June 28,1778 the Continental Army engaged the British Royal Army at Monmouth, New Jersey. It was a scolding hot day, and the continental army was weakening. The British were dropping like flies because of the heat. It was so hot that more soldiers died of heat stroke then they died from bullet wounds. Monmouth was a draw both armies fighting over this area. It seems that the continental army is been trained to at least hold off the lobster backs. This battle was a turning point and it seems that George Washington is finally training our continental army. This battle wasn't a victory but in the long run I believe that this battle will indeed help out our cause. The Continental army is holding their own but the heat is really taking a toll on them though not as bad as the british army. This is due to the fact that the british army had coats made of wool which was to hot in the summer. The continental army had coats made of cotton which was light enough to have the continentals not over heat but warm enough for winter. Although dehydration was a major problem of the battle. The British eventually retreated due to the dreadful heat.steady handling of lead Continental elements by [|Major General] [|Charles Lee] had allowed British rearguard commander Lieutenant General [|Charles Cornwallis] to seize the initiative but Washington's timely arrival on the battlefield rallied the Americans along a hilltop hedgerow. Sensing the opportunity to smash the Continentals, Cornwallis pressed his attack and captured the hedgerow in stifling heat. Washington consolidated his troops in a new line on heights behind marshy ground, used his artillery to fix the British in their positions, then brought up a four gun battery under Major General [|Nathanael Greene] on nearby Combs Hill to [|enfilade] the British line, requiring Cornwallis to withdraw. Finally, Washington tried to hit the exhausted British rear guard on both flanks, but darkness forced the end of the engagement. Both armies held the field, but the British commanding General Clinton withdrew undetected at midnight to resume his army's march to [|New York City]. While Cornwallis protected the main British column from any further American attack, Washington had fought his opponent to a standstill after a pitched and prolonged engagement; the first time that Washington's army had achieved such a result. The battle demonstrated the growing effectiveness of the Continental Army after its six month encampment at [|Valley Forge], where constant drilling under officers such as Major General [|Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben] and Major General [|Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette] greatly improved army discipline and morale. The battle improved the military reputations of Washington, Lafayette and [|Anthony Wayne] but ended the career of Charles Lee, who would face [|court martial] at [|Englishtown] for his failures on the day. According to some accounts, an American soldier's wife, Mary Hays, brought water to thirsty soldiers in the June heat, and became one of several women associated with the legend of [|Molly Pitcher.]

1) In the Battle of Monmouth what killed the most soldiers? 2) Which of the two opposing armies was more effected by the heat and why? 3) Why was the Battle of Monmouth considered a long term victory for the Americans?