According to Rowan University’s website, Professor Wade Catts is a member of the Red Bank Team, which focuses on the public and archaeological history of the battlefield.
The Mullica Hill library is partnering with Rowan University professor Wade Catts for a program about Fort Mercer and Red Bank Battlefield on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m.
Situated beside the Delaware River in National Park, the fort and battlefield played a major role in the Revolutionary War when the Hessians – under the command of British Col. Carl von Donop – attacked Fort Mercer on Oct. 22, 1777.
Despite being outnumbered, the American forces were able to hold back the invaders. According to the American Battlefield Trust, they suffered an estimated 40 casualties, while the British lost 514 men. Though the fort would be taken weeks later, the victory bought the Continental forces much-needed time.
The history of the fort and the battlefield will be a major talking point for Catts’ library lecture. According to Rowan’s website, the professor is a member of the Red Bank Team, part of the university’s Red Bank Field School. The latter focuses on the public and archaeological history of the battlefield.
Catts was part of a team that discovered and unearthed the remains of 15 Revolutionary War soldiers during an investigation at the site in 2022. One set of remains is believed to be that of a Hessian soldier who was between the ages of 17 and 19.
“We were able to get a lot of information from the crania and teeth, which are being tested for DNA now,” Catts explained to The Sun in 2023. “We are working with German officials, who have created a list of all Hessian soldiers who fought in America, with their age, rank, what units they were in and where they were killed.
“What a great outcome it would be if, after 250 years of being unceremoniously thrown into a pit, that a person’s remains would be reunited with their families.”
The library program is part of an effort to not only highlight the battlefield’s historic significance, but explain its effect on American history. Catts’ talk is sponsored by the New Jersey State Library’s Rev250 grant, awarded to the township library so it can fund a series of events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War’s start.
Registration will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m., and is required in advance of the program on the GCLS website.
