A skirmish of the Forage War in which New Jersey militia repelled a British foraging party, demonstrating militia effectiveness in small-unit combat.
Key Facts
- Date
- January 20, 1777
- Location
- Weston, New Jersey (near present-day Manville)
- Conflict
- American Revolutionary War
- Series
- Part of the Forage War skirmishes
- Outcome
- British foraging party driven off, wagons and supplies captured
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the winter of 1777, British forces in northern New Jersey conducted foraging operations to gather supplies, prompting a sustained campaign of resistance by American militia units throughout the region in what became known as the Forage War.
On January 20, 1777, a British foraging party operating near Abraham Van Neste's mill in Weston, New Jersey was flanked and driven off by a force composed largely of New Jersey militia, who seized the British wagons and supplies in the process.
The engagement deprived the British of their intended provisions and demonstrated that colonial militia companies were capable of mounting effective resistance against regular foraging operations, contributing to the broader pattern of attrition against British forces in New Jersey during early 1777.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent