On June 28, 1778, American and British forces fought the Battle of Monmouth near present-day Freehold, New Jersey. The battle became one of the longest single days of combat during the American Revolution and took place in extreme summer heat. General George Washington and the Continental Army attacked the rear of the British army as it moved across New Jersey after leaving Philadelphia. Although the battle did not produce a clear battlefield victory, it showed that the Continental Army had become stronger, more disciplined, and better prepared after its difficult winter at Valley Forge.

On June 15, 1775, the Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington as commander in chief of the newly formed Continental Army. This decision came just one day after Congress formally created the army, as the colonies faced the growing reality of war with Great Britain. Washington was attending Congress in military uniform, and his selection helped show that the struggle was no longer only a New England conflict but a broader colonial cause. The National Park Service notes that Washington was appointed after a unanimous vote in Independence Hall.

On June 13, 1777, the Marquis de Lafayette landed near Georgetown, South Carolina, after crossing the Atlantic aboard a ship he had purchased himself, the Victoire. He was only 19 years old, but he came determined to join the American Revolution and support the Continental Army. The Marquis de Lafayette was born Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette on September 6, 1757, into a noble family in France. Although he was young and wealthy, Lafayette became deeply interested in the American struggle for independence.