Morristown National Historical Park, a Military Capital of the American RevolutionWeig, Melvin J.
History
Morristown National Historical Park, a Military Capital of the American Revolution
Weig, Melvin J.
Morristown National Historical Park (N.J.); New Jersey -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
The last major battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in the
South, ending with the Virginia campaign which resulted in the surrender
at Yorktown, on October 19, 1781, of the British Army commanded by Lord
Cornwallis. Following this event, Washington ordered most of his forces
to return northward. Plans were made to establish the main Continental
Army encampment at Newburgh, N. Y., during the coming winter, but the
New Jersey Brigade was directed to “take Post somewhere in the Vicinity
of Morristown, to cover the Country adjacent, and to secure the
communication between the Delaware and North [Hudson] River.”
Col. Elias Dayton, soon afterward promoted to brigadier general, was
then in command of the New Jersey Brigade, which at that time consisted
of two regiments with a combined strength of around 700 men. His troops
had arrived at Morristown by December 7, 1781, and they immediately
established themselves in its neighborhood, again using log huts for
quarters. Local tradition gives the position of their encampment as
being in Jockey Hollow, a short distance southeast of the Wick House.
Wherever the exact location, the Brigade remained there until August 29,
1782, when Dayton had orders from Washington to march toward King’s
Ferry. A few of the sick and some regimental baggage were left behind
when the New Jersey troops began their march, but these also were
forwarded in the next 2 weeks.
This was the last winter encampment of American forces in Morris County
during the Revolutionary War. The period of Morristown’s significance as
a base for Washington’s military operations in that conflict had come to
a close.
_Guide to the Area_
The following information, supplementing that contained in the narrative
section of this handbook, is furnished as a convenient guide to points
of special interest in and around Morristown National Historical Park.
Numbers and titles in the text correspond to those shown on the Guide
Map (pp. 20-21). Another map (p. 35) shows the bridle paths and foot
trails in the jockey Hollow Area.
NO. 1. HISTORICAL MUSEUM.
Located in the rear of the Ford Mansion (No. 2), at 230 Morris Street,
Morristown, is the historical museum, a fireproof structure erected by
the National Park Service in 1935. In the attractive entrance hall and
four exhibition rooms of this building may be seen military arms and
equipment, important relics of George and Martha Washington, and a large
collection of other objects associated with the story of Morristown in
Revolutionary War times. Here also are located the park administrative
offices, including those of the superintendent, chief clerk, historian,
and museum staff.
[Illustration: _The historical museum, focal point in telling the
Morristown story._]
NO. 2. FORD MANSION, WASHINGTON’S HEADQUARTERS, 1779-80.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account