Battle of Red Bank
When Howe's forces captured Philadelphia in 1777, he then acted to open the Delaware River to the navy. The effort was directed at the forts on either side of the river. The Royal Navy attacked Fort Mifflin in Pennsylvania. In an attempt to recoup his tarnished reputation from his defeat at Trenton, Donop volunteered to attempt the capture of Fort Mercer at Red Bank in what is now National Park, New Jersey. General Howe agreed, if it could be done easily, and gave Donop command of 2000 Hessian troops, with which he crossed the Delaware River on October 22. That afternoon, Donop surrounded the fort and demanded surrender from Colonel Christopher Greene with the threat of invasion and no quarter. Greene, in a strong position with four hundred Rhode Islanders and in possession of plentiful cannon, grapeshot, and powder, rejected the demand. Three attacks and four hundred Hessian casualties ensued, including Donop himself. Fatally wounded in what would be known as the Battle of Red Bank, he died two days later on October 25, 1777. He said to a brother officer: “It is finishing a noble career early; but I die the victim of my ambition, and of the avarice of my sovereign.”
Read more about this topic: Carl Von Donop, Biography
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