“The Battle of Monmouth: Letters of Alexander Hamilton and General William Irvine, Describing the Engagement” (1878), published in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, is a documentary presentation of firsthand correspondence relating to the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778 during the American Revolutionary War.
The piece reproduces and contextualizes letters written by Alexander Hamilton and William Irvine, both of whom provided immediate or near-immediate observations of the engagement. Their accounts describe troop movements, command decisions, and battlefield conditions during one of the largest set-piece battles of the war, fought in New Jersey between Continental forces under General George Washington and British troops withdrawing from Philadelphia.
A central focus of the correspondence is the conduct of the Continental Army during the engagement, including issues of command coordination, the performance of individual brigades, and the effects of terrain and heat on combat effectiveness. Hamilton’s perspective, in particular, offers insight into staff-level operations and the organization of artillery and infantry during the battle.
The publication situates these letters within the broader campaign context, following the British evacuation of Philadelphia and the subsequent movement of forces across New Jersey. The Battle of Monmouth is presented as a turning point in demonstrating the improved discipline and battlefield capability of the Continental Army after the winter at Valley Forge.
As a 19th-century editorial presentation, the article reflects the historical society tradition of publishing primary documents with minimal alteration, aimed at preserving contemporary voices from the Revolutionary era. The emphasis is on authenticity and documentary value rather than narrative synthesis, making the letters important source material for understanding the operational realities of the battle from American officer perspectives.
