By Nick Sodano, Editor, June 6, 2025
The County Lyceum on High Street hosted a history lecture this past Friday evening which was organized by the Revolutionary War Alliance and catered by The Robin’s Nest. The lecture teamed Dr. Jen Janofsky, Director of the Red Bank Battlefield Park with Wade Catts, Senior Project Archeologist for the Fort Mercer archeological dig project.
How is this related to Mt. Holly? The 1777 Gloucester County battle at Fort Mercer involved the Hessian [German] Colonel who commanded Hessians in their 1776 battle along High Street in Mount Holly. As Colonel Von Donop launched his ill-fated Fort Mercer campaign, American troops massed in Mount Holly.
(see https://www.themounthollyreporter.org/p/mount-holly-november-1777-part-1 )
ETHICAL ARCHEOLOGY: HUMAN REMAINS ARE RESPECTED
The first thing to know about Dr. Janofsky and Mr. Catts is that they are “fiercely protective” of any human remains excavated during a dig. So no photos of the powerpoint were allowed and close-ups of the remains were not shown.
The second thing to know is that this perspective has not been the standard of practice by the industry in years past.
For instance, the Mutter museum in Philadelphia had a display called the “soap lady”, which was a body displayed in a glass case. The point of this “medical oddity” was that fatty tissue could change to a soap-like substance under certain conditions. It was always a ghoulish exhibit of dubious scientific value, but for some reason the museum webpage still shows an Xray of the body with the following statement:
Like the Smithsonian and other museums all over the world that are facing many of the same challenges, we have concluded that planning the future MUST include examination of questions such as collection provenance, consent, and what constitutes respectful display of human remains, especially at a time when these standards are evolving rapidly.
RED BANK’ FIRST ARCHEOLOGY INVESTIGATION
Dr. Janofsky’s credo on Archeology is that, with sufficient study and some luck during excavation, the park can tell visitors a compelling story that is paired with enough artifacts to engage the imagination and transport them into the narrative. This is what was on her mind as the team discovered the “burst cannon” fragment in 2014.
This approach to history is natural to Janofsky and explains why she was surprised to learn upon her 2012 arrival at Red Bank that a professional archeological dig had never occurred at the site. That’s not to say that excavations had not taken place.
There was a “lot of informal archeology” over the decades, which did damage to the battlefield as artifacts walked away into personal collections. Dr. Janofsky
So Red Bank applied to the American Battlefield Protection Program to support the following goals:
DETERMINE IF THERE WERE ANY MASS BURIALS REMAINING AT THE PARK. Janofsky and Catts suspected that erosion had washed burial sites in southern areas of the fort into the Delaware River. If human remains were still at some portion of the fort, a goal of the park would be to assure that they remained safe and stable.
DETERMINE HOW MUCH OF THE CORE AREA OF FORT MERCER STILL REMAINED IN THE PARK. Many visitors are surprised to find that the nicely manicured lawns they walk are actually within the fort. Because over time, the features of the earthen fort have eroded and been disfigured by human intervention.
As work proceeded in 2014 it became immediately evident that native people had thousands of years of history at the site before Fort Mercer was constructed. “Its not possible to put a shovel into the ground without finding native American artifacts.” The dig also encountered a layer of 19th and 20th century wastes that were laid on top of Fort Mercer.
DILIGENT REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS COMES FIRST
Before the shovels can uncover historical artifacts, the Archeologist should first assemble as much information as possible from written records such as diaries, letters, ledgers, maps, and official documents. These facts can act as an excavation guide when combined with the physical structures that still exist above ground and what ground penetrating radar can reveal below the ground.
One of the more unusual records used by Catts was a carved “powderhorn” made by a man who experienced the battle in his 20s. The gruesome images he carved into the horn proved to be a clue regarding what Catts’ team found in the ground.
WHAT RECORDS REVEAL ABOUT THE BATTLE
The battle of Fort Mercer was a part of the Crown Forces’ “Philadelphia Campaign” that included Hessains [German mercenaries], British and local Loyalists. Americans had placed boat traffic obstructions in the Delaware River adjacent to Fort Mifflin [on the PA side] and Fort Mercer at Red Bank. The British decided that the best strategy to clear these obstructions was to first capture the forts by land. Afterwards the obstructions could be safely removed to allow navigation of the Delaware and the resupply forces at Philadelphia.
General Washington stated that if the obstructions could be maintained, the capture of Philadelphia by the British could actually prove to be a liability instead of victory.
The British decided that Colonel Von Donop should be given the chance to redeem Hessian pride by capturing Fort Mercer. Von Donop was criticized for having been “distracted” in Mount Holly by an American woman while Washington defeated Hessians at Trenton in 1776. That harsh assessment of the Hessian Colonel is featured on a sign currently situated at High and Murrel streets.
A MAJOR DEFEAT
“If you don’t look at the surrender of the entire British army at Yorktown, Red Bank and Augusta happening right on top of each other is one of the worst disasters for the Royal Navy and British Army in the American war” Wade Catts
THE AUGUSTA - Note that the British planned to support Colonel Von Donop’s attack via a naval bombardment of Fort Mercer. However, the obstructions placed in the Delaware river proved effective in keeping the ship named Augusta south of the fort, and as low tide arrived, the Augusta was stranded on the sand. The Augusta was a massive ship with 64 cannons. The Pennsylvania Navy launched “fire ships” at the Augusta and fired upon it. The ship eventually caught fire and exploded spectacularly, breaking windows miles to the north in Philadelphia.
Historic Map of Fort Mercer shows obstructions placed in the river & American ships.
CONSTRUCTION ERROR A FACTOR IN HESSIAN DEFEAT
Mercer was an earthen “redoubt” type fort with a ditch cut around it, a berm made of the soil from the ditch and large wooden stakes bristling at the top of the ditch as a barrier to any who would attempt to climb over.
Image: Example of earthen fortification in Williamsburg, Virginia. By “Living in Williamsburg”
“If you were assaulting this fort and standing at the bottom of an eight foot deep ditch, the top of the berm would be 16 feet from the bottom. It’s a formidable thing.” Wade Catts
It is uniformly agreed that the original Fort Mercer was entirely too large for its intended purpose, which was to fire cannons at enemy boats approaching the obstructions placed in the river. But the earthen fort was constructed to be over 1,000 feet long, requiring more soldiers to defend than were available. For this reason, in the Spring of 1777, a large portion of the fort to its north was abandoned and filled with dangerous obstacles. A new wall constructed at the southern end created a smaller, more defendable space.
FORCES ARRAYED ON OCTOBER 22, 1777
Approximately 400 to 600 Americans with 14 cannons defended Fort Mercer along with American naval vessels firing from the river. This was against Von Donop’s force of approximately 2,400 Hessian soldiers, 1,400 of which comprised the initial assault on the fort.
Prior to the attack, Von Donop sent a message to Commander Greene of the fort that they should surrender now or face “no quarter” in the coming attack. The Americans responded that they expected no quarter. As the battle began, Americans posted at the abandoned northern end of the fort quickly retreated and the Hessians entered the abandoned northern section, briefly thinking they had won.
But as fired rained on them from the south and from the river, they realized it was a killing field trap. The attack was broken off after about 45 minutes of disaster for the Hessains who lost about 20% of their assault force, which suffered catastrophic wounds from cannon fire. Hessains eventually suffered about 239 dead, including Von Donop, while the Americans had about 30 dead.
DOCUMENTS SHOW HESSIANS TO THE SOUTH
Catts noted that documents revealed Von Donop survived for a short time after the battle. He, and many others were buried between the farm house and the fort which is at the southern end of the park. Evidence indicated that Hessian remains buried in these areas that were likely eroded into the Delaware.
ITS ALWAYS THE LAST DAY, LAST HOUR
During 2020 Dr. Janofsky was fortunate to convince the County Commissioners that the purchase of a small parcel adjacent to the northern end of the park would be a significant improvement. That land featured a gentle swale which Janofsky suspected was a part of Fort Mercer. She organized a public archeology program in 2021 and by 2022 an archeology contractor was at work on the newly acquired parcel. Wade Catts again directed archeology work and Janofsky was excited to see tents and sifting stations staffed by volunteers who had “archeological dig” on their lifetime bucket list of things to do.
As the dig’s last day arrived on June 26, 2022, Catts commented that its always the last day, in the last hour that something big is found. And by mid-afternoon, they found a gold coin which everyone thought was that big thing. They imagined a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the team striking gold. But then, at about 2pm, a volunteer approached Catts to say they found a bone.
“We would never have done a “public archeology” excavation in a space where we anticipated uncovering human remains” Wade Catts
Mr. Catts explained that the intended goal of the 2022 dig was to assess the dimensions and construction of the earthen fort at this newly acquired location. They understood that the Americans left the fort quickly after the battle and thought the dig might uncover items discarded by Americans as the fort was abandoned.
WHO YA GONNA CALL?
Dr. Janofsky had never seen human remains before. It looked like a leg bone. And she thought, who do you call when you find human remains? This is the kind of thing they don’t teach you in grad school. Their first call was to the West Deptford police who quickly concluded they had not discovered a recent crime scene and that the team should contact the State Police forensic lab. That is the call that led Gloucester County into a relationship with the NJ State Police Forensic lab.
A CONFUSING BATTLEFIELD GRAVE
“There was a femur [Thigh bone] we found in the base of the hole. But that one femur turned out to be four femurs. And you begin to wonder, how many people is that?” Wade Catts
Catts went on to note that there were just femurs without other bones, which was initially puzzling. Had the other bones disintegrated? Catts realized that they needed forensic help so the relationship with the State Police and Anna Delaney. Ms. Delaney is a Forensic Anthropologist with the New Jersey State Police, Office of Forensic Science Forensic Anthropology Unit. The relationship worked out with the State Police was that Catts’ team would do the excavations and any remains went to the State Police lab in Hamilton.
WEAPONRY DEPLOYED & 18TH CENTURY BATTLEFIELD BURIAL PRACTICES EXPLAIN DIG RESULTS
Catts explained that records from the battle reveal that the cannon fire left the fields surrounding the fort a gruesome scene of body parts. This is what was depicted on the powder horn noted above. The Americans who buried the Hessian remains would have gathered up body parts using uniforms as a containment method. But the excavation was relatively free from buttons and other more durable objects that one might expect were buried with soldiers. Since 18th century battlefield burial practice was to strip the dead of clothing and other items prior to burial, the small number of buttons to large bones was consistent with the known battle outcomes and burial procedures from that time.
ARCHEOLOGY IS ONGOING AT RED BANK
if you want to volunteer, email lawrencej@rowan.edu and let Dr. Janofsky know you want to be on a dig. Also, consider visiting the park on 6/22/25: Family History - Archelogy Day, when Roan University students will talk about their experiences on the dig being discussed in the lecture.
MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR ALLIANCE
More locally, you can experience history with the Revolutionary War Alliance who does a re-enactment of the battle at Petticoat Bridge battle in Springfield. Adam Zelinsky is President of the RWA which invites you to come to email him at revwaralliance.obc@gmail.com.
Check out their web page at https://revwaralliance.org/programs