Gloucester City History: Photo of Remains of the Historic Frigate Augusta
Monday, November 28, 2022
correction
William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (November 28, 2022)(CNBNews)--Going thru an old file belonging to my father, George F. Sr., I discovered the photo/postcard below given to my dad by Mayor Fred Floyd, a DEMOCRAT, who was elected mayor in 1955. He succeeded Philip Rea, 1950-1954, a Republican.
In the 1950s, Gloucester City Historian Harry Green sent the picture below to Mayor Floyd about the remains of the historic Frigate Augusta sunk on October 22, 1777, at the battle of Red Bank, National Park. Some of the lumber from that ship landed at the foot of Market Street, Gloucester City.
Floyd wrote, "This is the only remaining historic landmark existing in our City, and I think a cut of this should be used in the proposed history. It is not known if that ever happened. The U.S. Coast Guard Base appears to be in the foreground. Holt Logistics now occupies that base.
The Battle of Red Bank was a battle fought on October 22, 1777 during the American Revolutionary War in which a British and Hessian force was sent to take Fort Mercer on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River just south of Philadelphia, but was decisively defeated by far inferior force of Colonial defenders. Although the British did take Fort Mercer a month later, the victory supplied a sorely-needed morale boost to the American cause, delayed British plans to consolidate gains in Philadelphia
Today the site of the Battle of Red Bank is a part of the Gloucester County Parks system called Red Bank Battlefield Park. The 44-acre (180,000 m2) park is open to visitors during daylight hours. The Whitall House may be visited during more limited hours. An annual reenactment of the battle takes place on the park grounds in October. In the early 1980s, a lifeguard was on duty and swimming was permitted in the Delaware River.
In June 2022 a mass grave containing the remains of what are believed to be 12 Hessian soldiers was discovered while excavating the outer defensive ditch of Fort Mercer.