• The Chronology
  • Nov. / Dec. 1779
  • January 1780
  • Feb. / Mar. 1780
  • April / May 1780
  • June 1780
• The Place
  • Why Morristown
  • Morristown Region
  • Winter Encampment
  • Log Hut City
  • Inside the Log Hut
  • Soldier Life
• The People
  • Headquarters
  • Officers
  • Soldiers
  • Civilians
• The Film
  • About the Film
  • Watch Videos
  • Transcript
  • Credits
  • Screenings
  • Buy DVD
  • Pressroom

On NJN2: Monday, February 22, 2010 at 8:30 pm
On NJN2: Tuesday, February 23 - Sunday, February 28, 2010, at 8:30 am, 2:30 pm and 8:30 pm

Morristown: Where America Survived is a thirty-minute High Definition documentary which revisits that winter of 1779-80 when Washington’s troops arrived at the densely-wooded area just south of Morristown known as Jockey Hollow, to build a log hut city for their winter camp.  The film is an eye-opening look at how the camp saved the army – and the American Revolution – from the brink of disaster.

Based on John T. Cunningham’s book The Uncertain Revolution and shot on location at Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown: Where America Survived is narrated by award-winning actor Edward Herrmann, who has voiced many history documentaries over his extensive career.

Morristown: Where America Survived follows the soldiers' experiences through the winter and into the springtime clashes with the British with episodes of stealing, starvation, and a near-mutiny along the way. Primary quotes breathe life into the story, from the letters of George Washington to the recollections of Joseph Plumb Martin, who left one of the only detailed accounts of the life of a young private at Morristown.

“Morristown: Where America Survived is a gripping account of the most perilous winter of the American Revolution. It is a large step toward making people aware of the drama and importance of the Morristown winter camp. Move over, Valley Forge!”
Thomas Fleming, Author of  Liberty! The American Revolution and Winner of The Richard Hughes Award for Lifetime Achievement in New Jersey History

“The story of the "Hard Winter" at Morristown is of great historical importance, but it has been masked by the mythology surrounding Valley Forge. Here is the true saga of suffering soldiers, with weather more harsh and the soldiers more vocal than at Valley Forge two years earlier. Morristown: Where America Survived is the perfect way to present the Morristown story, and with it the real lives of continental soldiers, to a broad public.”
Ray Raphael, "Founders: The People Who Brought You A Nation" (2009)

“Morristown: Where America Survived tells an important story that very few Americans – even those who love history – know and appreciate.”
James C. Rees, Executive Director, Mount Vernon

“The most compelling part of the film: the juxtaposition of readings from soldiers about the hardship of the encampment with the filming of what such a winter might have been like.  A remarkably successful presentation.”
Paul G. E. Clemens, Historian, Rutgers University

“Morristown: Where America Survived tells the important and overlooked story of one of the most important winters of the American Revolution. This story must be told, and Morristown does so beautifully.”
Patrick Spero, Historian, The David Library of the American Revolution

Major funding provided by S. Dillard and Adrienne Kirby

With additional funding provided by the Dearhaven Fund of the Community Foundation of NJ (Finn and Kim Wentworth),
Holly Beach Public Library Association, the CommunityFoundation of NJ, the Bohnert Foundation (Robert and Cindy Manzo),
Rodney & Virginia Frelinghuysen, the William E. Simon Foundation, the Hidden Pond Foundation (J. Peter and Janet Simon),
Stephen B. and Judy Wiley, Cathy Huff, the Cultural Arts Fund of the Community Foundation of NJ, James and Barbara Hanson,
the Margaret B. Thompson Fund of the Community Foundation of NJ, and Lawrence Irene.