The 1906 Monument

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The First Rhode Island Regiment, a colonial military unit that was the first to incorporate African Americans into its ranks, was led by Colonel Christopher Greene, while not an abolitionist, advocated for Black inclusion in the military. Greene commanded his racially integrated unit in battle. He was killed by loyalists on May 14, 1781 and “his body lay bloodied and mangled”, which suggests that “he was attacked with particular antagonism for having led an integrated unit.”

There are three aditional plates on the pedestal of the monument. On the right side is a commemoration of Count Carl von Donop, a Hessian commander who was wounded at the siege of Fort Mercer. Colonel von Donops task was not an easy one, and when British commanders slighted his request for additional armament stating that if he could not take the fort the British would, his reply was simple-”Either that will be Fort Donop, or I shall be dead.” Donop predicted his own demise, and the backside of the monument celebrates the Patriot forces victory over an overwhelmingly large Hessian force during the Pennsylvania campaign.

In the early 20th century the New Jersey State Assembly’s decided to have the monument of 1906 funded, created, denoted, and placed specifically at the Red Bank site. While mundane in appearance, the discourse is a window into the bureaucratic nature of American politics, as it details with specificity everything from the rationale for the memorial's creation to the costs and funding for such a project as the 1906 Monument required.

An early 20th-century news article from The Hartford Courant describes the mock battle that was part of the monument's dedication ceremony. Though brief, the article highlights the battle site's historical significance, as evidenced by its coverage in a Connecticut publication—then, as now, far removed from the actual battlefield, but still no less effected by it.

An article from The New York Times discusses the disagreement between New Jersey state and local officials over whether to keep the bronze placard describing Colonel Count von Dunop’s failure to win the battle. Local officials argue that his defeat—and his reasoning for it—are irrelevant to the monument’s purpose, which is to celebrate American victories rather than British losses.