The Morristown area experienced its share of revolutionary drama, including the worst winter in recorded history, an encampment with thousands of starving, near-mutinous soldiers, and an invasion by the British. What was it like in this village in wartime? Here is a chronology of some noteworthy events, including accounts by those who witnessed, firsthand, this fateful time in our nation’s history.
Thursday,
Nov. 4
Tuesday,
Nov. 30
December
1 – 17
Friday,
Dec. 10
Tuesday,
Dec. 14
Thursday,
Dec. 16
December
20 - 29
Friday,
Dec. 24
Saturday,
Dec. 25
Monday,
Dec. 27
Thursday, November 4
Time to find a winter campsite.
Nathanael Greene, Quartermaster General of the Continental Army.
“The weather begins to get cold and puts us in mind of winter quarters…It therefore becoms [sic] necessary to look out for a proper place to hut the army in.” Quartermaster General Nathanael Greene instructing a deputy in New Jersey, James Abeel, to find places that would support a winter encampment of the Continental Army directly under the command of General George Washington
General Greene will arrive in Morristown on Saturday, November 20, to personally oversee the search.
Tuesday, November 30
General Washington makes the choice—Jockey Hollow.
Will arrive at Mrs. Ford’s house tomorrow.
Ford Mansion was built for Colonel Jacob Ford Jr. and served as General Washington's Headquarters during the winter of 1779-1780.
“From a consideration of all circumstances, I am led to decide upon the position back of Mr. Kemble’s,… [the property behind that of the Kemble estate, known as Jockey Hollow] I shall be at Morristown tomorrow and shall be obliged your ordering me a late dinner. I understand my quarters are to be at Mrs. Fords. If I am mistaken, be pleased to send me a person to set me right.” General Washington in a letter to General Nathanael Greene of his decision of where to locate his Main Army’s winter encampment
December 1 – 17
The soldiers arrive at Jockey Hollow and start building the winter camp.
Drawing of Stark’s Brigade.
The brigades that will winter in Jockey Hollow arrive at their campsites. Stark’s brigade (made up of Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts regiments) arrives on the 14th of the month.
A surgeon with this brigade, Dr. James Thacher, wrote: “On the 14th (we) reached this wilderness, about three miles from Morristown, where we are to build log huts for winter quarters…The ground is marked out, and the soldiers have commenced cutting down the timber of oak and walnut, of which we have a great abundance.” Dr. James Thacher, Military Journal
“…After our long march [from Peekskill] you may well think our men were rather destitute of cloathing; after our arrival we began and completed our Hutts which destroyed our cloathing still more & to my certain knowledge we had not more that Fifty men in the Regt. returnd fit for duty, --- many a good Lad with nothing to cover him from his hips to his toes save his Blanket…” Capt. Joseph Walker, Col. Webb’s Regiment, Stark’s Brigade
Friday, December 10
Is Mrs. Ford not happy about hosting General Washington?
Interior of the Ford Mansion. Theodosia Ford and her four young children continued to reside in this house during General Washington's stay.
“ … I am happy to think that my Letter to the Director General of the Hospital, should have been anyways instrumental in preventing the Repetition of former Impositions upon Morris Town: & could have wished that General Washington had been as well accommodated without taking up his Quarters at Mrs. Ford’s but his amiable disposition & the pleasure he takes in making everybody about him happy will I am persuaded induce him to make it as easy to her as possible: perhaps in the final Result, she will not resent that her house has entertained such a General; nor the Neighbourhood regret that a disproportionate quantity of their wood was sacrificed in such a Cause.” New Jersey Governor William Livingston to Rev. Timothy Johnes, father of Theodosia Ford, December 10, 1779
Tuesday, December 14
An officer wonders: Can the soldiers bear any less clothing?
Soldiers of the Continental Army rarely received new clothing to replace the rags they wore.
“I must confess that the [soldiers] would make a better appearance had they a sufficiency of hats, but as Congress don’t seem to think that an essential …part of uniform, they mean to leave us uniformly bare-headed—as well as bare-footed—and if they find that we can bare it tolerably well in the two extremes, perhaps they may try it in the center.” General Anthony Wayne to General William Irvine
Thursday, December 16
Washington to Governor: worst supply situation in the entire war.
With supplies nearly exhausted, days would pass without adequate food allowances.
“The situation of the Army with respect to supplies, is beyond description, alarming. It has been five or six weeks past on half allowance, and we have not more than three days bread at a third allowance on hand, nor any where within reach. When this is exhausted, we must depend on the precarious gleanings of the neighboring country. Our magazines (storehouses) are absolutely empty everywhere, and our commissaries entirely destitute of money or credit to replenish them. We have never experienced a like extremity at any period of the war. We have often felt temporary want from accidental delay in forwarding supplies, but we always had something in our magazines, and the means of procuring more. Neither one nor the other is, at present, the case. This representation is the result of a minute examination of our resources”. General Washington to Joseph Reed, Governor of Pennsylvania
December 20 – 29
Visitor describes the “Log-house city” of camp.
Mural of the Morristown encampment.
“Week before last I visited the camp, and had the pleasure of seeing many old and some dear friends. I found the Log-house city on the declivity of a high hill, three miles south of Morristown. There the Connecticut Line dwells in tabernacles like Israel of old. And there the troops of the other States lie, some at a greater and some at a less distance among the hills in similar habitations.” Schoolmaster Ebenezer Fitch, January 4, 1780
Friday, December 24
Hut building by suffering men---while the country is ungrateful.
Troops needed to cut down many trees to provide fire and shelter, building many log huts.
“You will by date perceive that we are in camp, tho’ expect, if good weather, to have the men’s Hutts so far compleated (sic) that they may go into them on Sunday or Monday. The Officer’s Hutts are not begun, nor will they be meddled with till the men are covered. My own Hutt will not be meddled with till after the officers have finished theirs. The severity of the weather hath been such that the men suffer’d much without shoes and stockings, and working half leg deep in snow. Poor fellows, my heart bleeds for them as I damn my country as devoid of gratitude.” Lt. Colonel Ebenezer Huntington of Col. Samuel Webb’s Connecticut Regiment, Stark’s Brigade
Saturday, December 25
Great distress of the army—lack of money means no supplies.
Music at Headquarters for Christmas.
The "hutting" arrangement for General Stark's Brigade.
Many officers note their men are hutted by Christmas. “The Army is quarterd within three Miles of this place, in the usual way of hutting. Head Quarters is in this Town, at the Widow Fords, at the great white House at the North end of the place. My quarters is at the House were Head Quarters was in ’77. (the Arnold Tavern) But there is a very different kind of Inhabitants in the place to what there was when you was here. They receive us with coldness and provide for us with reluctance. The Army is in great distress for want of Provision and forage; owing to the great Departments of the Army being kept in a starvd condition for three or four Months past for want of money…." General Nathanael Greene to General George Weedon, December 25, 1780
Washington hires one of the military Bands of Musick (usually from a artillery regiment) to play at Headquarters for Christmas.
“The Band of Musick – Christmas 15 pounds” Record for December 25th in expense account for Headquarters
Monday, December 27
Masonic meeting in Morristown—Washington attends.
Martha Washington arrives at the Ford Mansion.
Commander in Chief George Washington.
To observe the feast day of St. John the Evangelist, there was a Masonic meeting of officers at the Arnold Tavern, and a sermon in church.
“St. John’s Day, was a Grand Procession of the Free and accepted Masons his Excellency attended, had a Discourse delivered on the occasion by the Revd. Mr. Jones well suited to the Purpose.” Diary of John Barr, Ensign, Fourth New York Regiment
Martha Washington will arrive to join General Washington several days later. Major Gibbs (Commander of the Guards) had been sent with Washington’s sleigh to bring her up from Philadelphia to Morristown. Mrs. Washington will stay at Morristown until mid-June 1780.
