f, the van traveled along a road much more suitable for heavy loads, and secondly, these items were now closer to the main body of the fighting units, which were lead by General Earl Cornwallis. Although it seemed as if they would remain close, this wagon train and its’ convoy, lead by General Knyphausen, eventually rode right by them and ended up a few miles down the road in Imlaystown. This convoy was made of 1500 soldiers, which consisted of Dragoons, Light-Infantry, Hessians, and organized bodies of Loyalists. As Knyphausen passed Gen. Cornwallis and the main force, it summarily made the main body the rear guard . As the change became to become apparent, Gen. Clinton thought it for the best, considering the main body of supplies still lay in the rear, and that was what needed the most protection. Gen. Clinton was well aware that the enemy “needed these goods. ” It was not an enormous change, mostly a simple changing of positions to coincide with a more accurate plan. He than sent out a small “buffer” force to act as a lateral screen for the main army. It was with this force that the Americans first skirmished with on the morning of the 28th. On the eve of the battle the Gen. Clinton’s army was still well over-extended. It was stretched along the Monmouth road from Smithburg to Dutch Lane, a distance of about eight miles. Then came Knyphausen’s army of about 1500, extending the lines another mile. The stage was now set to engulf in what would later become known as the Battle of Monmouth.After Washington had given what he had thought to be his last dispositions, another thorn arose in his side. General Charles Lee, “…who’s every word and action throughout the whole of the early part of the engagement smelled of dissatisfaction and savored of treachery, ” decided to use his seniority to assume command of Gen. Lafayette’s force. This move, for whatever reason Lee ha...
