Put Watts Into 'Em Boys!

There is a lovely historic church and small cemetery containing graves of revolutionary war patriots in Springfield, NJ, not too far from where we live.

The cedar-shingled church has been in existence since 1780.

It played an important role in the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Springfield when James Caldwell, Pastor of the Continental Army, threw Watts' Hymnals to his men to use as wadding in their guns. The rest, as they say, is history :)

 SPRINGFIELD 

THE FIRST BRITISH ADVANCE 

WAS STAYED AT THE BRIDGE

EAST OF THE VILLAGE , JUNE 7, 1780

THE BATTLE OF SPRINGFIELD 

WAS FOUGHT JUNE 23rd. 

THE AMERICANS

UNDER GENERAL GREENE 

ON THAT DAY NEAR THE STREAM

WEST OF THE CHURCH

CHECKED THE ENEMY,

WHO IN THEIR RETREAT

BURNED THE CHURCH AND VILLAGE.

FROM THIS CHURCH

PARSON CALDWELL TOOK PSALM-BOOKS

DURING THE FIGHT AND FLUNG THEM

TO THE AMERICANS FOR WADDING,

CRYING, "PUT WATTS INTO 'EM BOYS."

ERECTED BY THE STATE OF

NEW JERSEY, A.D. 1905

The cemetery is located on an adjacent street in a quiet neighborhood. There are quite a few Revolutionary War soldiers buried there.

  THOMAS COOPER

NEW JERSEY 

SOMERSET COUNTY TROOPS

REVOLUTIONARY WAR

1745-1811

AARON HAND

NEW JERSEY

PVT MORRIS CO TROOPS

REVOLUTIONARY WAR

FEB 23 1764  JULY 27 1842

BENJAMIN MEEKER

NEW JERSEY

ESSEX COUNTY TROOPS

REVOLUTIONARY WAR

1746  1813

DANIEL VREELAND

PVT NJ MILITIA

REV WAR

1757  1828

CALEB WOODRUFF

PVT NJ MILITIA

REV WAR

1755  1834

HAVE A WONDERFUL 4TH! 

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Copyright 2016, Barbara Schaffer