On June 7, 1780, Hessian General Knyphausen’s force of 5,000 landed at De Hart’s Point, near Elizabethtown, and marched toward Morristown. The soldiers met resistance from regulars and militia under Colonel Elias Dayton and General Maxwell at Connecticut Farms, which included parts of current-day Union and Kenilworth.
Dayton’s 3rd NJ Regiment was joined by the rest of the New Jersey Brigade and General William Maxwell. Behind a deep ravine, just southeast of the Presbyterian meetinghouse, Maxwell deployed his troops. As militiamen continued to pour in individually and in small groups, Maxwell assigned Brigade Major Aaron Ogden to organize them into an effective unit.
Maxwell’s men, reinforced by the militia, made a stand, beating back repeated assaults. As the main body of Knyphausen’s army joined the advance column, more and more men were thrown against the Americans. For nearly three hours, the men of the New Jersey Brigade stood firm against the onslaught; but finally, in danger of being outflanked, Maxwell was forced to withdraw.
The settlement was pillaged and burned. Dwellings, barns, and even the Presbyterian Church, were left in ashes. Knyphausen withdrew to De Hart’s Point on the night of June 7th to entrench. American losses totaled 15 killed and 40 wounded.
During the fighting, Hannah Caldwell was slain. Caldwell was married to the minister of the Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown, the Rev. James Caldwell, who fought fervently with the patriots against the British in the Revolutionary War. Hannah was in the parsonage at the Connecticut Farms Church when she was fatally shot, although it has been long debated whether the British had targeted the Caldwells or Hannah was the victim of “friendly fire.” Whatever the cause, her death became a rallying cry for the militia. (Today, her death is depicted on the Seal of Union County.)