REV. CHARLES MCKNIGHT: THE PATRIOT PREACHER OF MATAWAN

By John Lazar

Reverend Charles McKnight is a name every local resident should know. Born C 1710, Charles McKnight was a local Preacher and War Hero who sacrificed everything for the cause of Liberty during the Revolutionary War. Reverend McKnight greatly opposed British rule and became a loud advocate for Independence locally. He praised and encouraged our local Patriots every chance he was given from the pulpit. Even though he was well into his sixties at the time of conflict, McKnight epitomized the spirit of our Revolution, even joining in the fighting himself. He survived a severe wound to the head at the Battle of Princeton. His two sons also fought in the Revolution, with Charles McKnight (Jr.) becoming the first Surgeon General under George Washington’s command. In 1777 British troops were sent to kidnap McKnight and burn the Presbyterian Church in Matawan to the ground (then known as Middletown Point). A skirmish broke out with local minutemen running down Main

Street and New Brunswick Avenue to fight. Men were killed on both sides of the conflict, but the British Loyalist troops succeeded in burning the church and kidnapping McKnight.

While in British custody aboard the prison ship, HMS Jersey, his health rapidly declined. Sadly, he was released just days before his death. It is reported that at his time of death he weighed less than 100 lbs. due to the abuses of his captors. Reverend Charles McKnight would pass away on January 1, 1778.

245 years later, Reverend McKnight’s story and sacrifice for our Country remain as relevant as ever. The site of this skirmish is located at Mount Pleasant Cemetery on the corner of 516 and 79. It is owned by the Borough