Mar 17

Mar 17 Thomas Henderson's House is Burned as Two Armies Converge

Thomas Henderson was a Physician who fought with the Continental Army, served as Governor of New Jersey and became a US Congressman.

As the Battle of Monmouth approached, Henderson’s house was burned by the British.

Thomas Henderson

Thomas Henderson was a New Jersey Physician from Monmouth County who served in the Committee of Safety during the lead up to the Revolutionary War.

Henderson, who had spent time in his local militia, joined the Continental Army and was commissioned as an officer.

He participated in several battles and by 1777 was named a Lieutenant Colonel at the request of General Washington.

Monmouth

The day before the important Battle of Monmouth, a detachment of British soldiers burned two houses near their camp.

One of these homes belonged to Henderson.

Undeterred, Thomas engaged in the initial fighting at Monmouth and was part of General Charles Lee’s famously disorganized retreat.

Several sources claim that Henderson was a ‘solitary horseman’ who first informed George Washington of the retreat (moments before publicly berating Lee). His role as this mysterious horseman is hard to confirm because Washington confronted several officers as he approached the field, none of whom knew what they were supposed to be doing.

Acting Governor

The following year, Henderson was elected to the Continental Congress.

Although he declined to serve, he did begin a stay in the New Jersey Assembly. Within a decade, Thomas had become Vice President of the New Jersey Senate.

When William Paterson resigned as Governor, Henderson temporarily replaced him...spending two months as the State’s Chief Executive.

Congressman

Thomas Henderson only spent two months as Governor of New Jersey.

He followed this up with an election to the United States House of Representatives.

Henderson’s last (though possibly most important) contribution to the American Founding was his time as member of the commission which permanently settled the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Here are some other signers of the Constitution:

Philomen Dickinson - Commander of New Jersey’s Revolutionary Militia

Samuel Dick Goes Off in an Extraordinary Manner

Elias Boudinot Signs the Preliminary Articles of Peace

The Monmouth Campaign was an integral part of the Revolutionary War.

‘Fatal Sunday’ by Mark Edward Lender is the most authoritative book on the subject that I have read.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).