iven at midnight of the previous evening. He soon becomes confused, for he is receiving reports that the British are both advancing and falling back. In fact, this is exactly what is happening. They are advancing on the rear guard, while falling to back to move the baggage out of the way. This error would easily have been avoided, had Lee performed the appropriate reconnaissance. Eventually, a very long hour after the two armies first met, Lee begins to get a clear picture of the battle in his head. He wants to encircle and capture the rear guard, but he tells none of his generals of the plan. He marches Col. William Grayson’s unit, with 600 men and 4 artillery pieces, to the flanks, but then gives no orders. Lee then proceeds to move his main element to Monmouth courthouse, this being an attempt to encircle the rear guard . The British, upon seeing this maneuver at about 8:00 AM, immediately evacuate the courthouse. This leaves a large rear guard detachment and a gap between the divisions of Clinton and Cornwallis. An American cavalry commander by the name of Colonel Moylan sees this large gap. Angered at the lack of orders he has received, he orders a charge in an attempt to cut the two from each other and create disorder. They were, however, stopped, not exactly by fighting, but by a large fence that prevented any progress from occurring . They simply had to turn around and retreat in a most disoriented fashion. This backward movement by the cavalry charge caused an enormous amount of confusion in the American lines. The troops which were sent forth to reinforce Wayne were now convinced that the retreating force was that of Wayne’s main body. Again, not receiving any orders, they fell back and began a slow, disorganized retreat. In truth, Wayne’s main body was currently withholding a large frontal assault by the Queen’s Rangers. However, contradictory orders, and lack of real plan, eventually forced Wayne into...
