Hackensack, NJ Community Message Boards

The interaction of armies described in Paragraph 2 must have taken place in the Fairmount Section of Hackensack. I copied the text between the astericks, read it again:

***** By the time the enemy had arrived at what is now the Red Mills, 4 miles from Hackensack, they ascertained the Americans were on their way to meet them. Disappointed, they retraced their steps, and when near Hackensack turned off to the north, on the road leading to the New Bridge, to the left of which there is a range about half a mile distant from the road, the intervening ground being level. Here the continentals and militia were hurrying over, kept however at a distance by large flanking parties of the enemy, who, on arriving at the bridge, were detained about two hours in replacing the plank torn off by the Americans *****

The author described the “enemy” retreating 4 miles from what is now the Red Mill in Paramus along the road towards Hackensack. That road is undoubtedly Passaic Street. Just before reaching the village of Hackensack, the enemy turned north and traveled along the road to New Bridge. There weren’t too many roads in those days. That left they took has got to be Main Street, which is the only street that leads north to the “New Bridge” at the border of River Edge and Hackensack. The author exactly describes the terrain in the Fairmount Section. As the enemy marched north along the street, there was a “range” a half-mile to the left. That “range” is none other than the Summit Avenue Hill.  The author even describes the area between the road and the hill as “the intervening ground being level”, an accurate description of the Fairmount Section north of Clinton Place.

Somewhere along Main Street the enemy encountered the continentals and militia, I would guess in the vicinity of Ross, give or take a few blocks. Probably not north of Spring Valley Avenue, or the author would not have made reference to the range. The enemy made large flanking motions to force the continental forces to retreat to New Bridge. This would not have been to the east, since the river is there, so it must have been to the west over the level terrain and “range” described. Otherwise it would not have been relevant to describe the terrain in such detail. One imagines portions of the British and Hessian forces swarming west towards the hill, and then turning north, and then northeast in a huge clockwise motion through the entire Fairmount section. Open level terrain is not easy to defend. The continental forces along Main Street must have been facing the threat of becoming trapped in a pincer motion, so they retreated to the New Bridge and disassembled the planking on the bridge. Skirmishing broke out at the New Bridge, and during the enemy’s further retreat south and east.