Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, in command of the British garrison at New York City, made an attempt to reach the principal Continental Army encampment at Morristown, New Jersey.

After stiff resistance, the militia were forced to withdraw, but the battle and skirmishing that preceded it sufficiently delayed Knyphausen's advance that he remained there for the night.

Knyphausen's plan called for his troops to advance from Elizabethtown, to seven miles northwest and seize the town of Springfield and Hobart Gap by sunrise on June 7.

[5][6] On June 6, Knyphausen's troops boarded boats on Staten Island and, at midnight, started to land at Elizabethtown Point, New Jersey.

As the column moved westward, one of the first shots fired severely wounded Brigadier General Stirling, upon which command of the 1st Division passed to Hessian Colonel Ludwig von Wurmb.

As the sun rose on June 7, about 60 New Jersey militiamen under Ensign Moses Ogden, one of whose men had wounded Stirling, fought a rearguard action to try to delay the British advance in an orchard near Governor Livingston's mansion.

[8] A quarter-mile (about 0.5 km) further west, Colonel Elias Dayton, with a detachment of the New Jersey Continental Brigade and more militia, skirmished with the invaders before falling back to Connecticut Farms.

Using trees and bushes for cover, the Americans held their ground for three hours until von Wurmb was reinforced by General Mathew and part of his 2nd Division.

[12] General George Washington now arrived on the scene from his headquarters and sent forward his personal Guard of 153 men under Major Caleb Gibbs.

Fleming describes what happened next: "Nervously expecting trouble, the light infantryman approached the window, his finger on the trigger, ... Abigail Lennington shrank back, pulling the little boy with her.