The camp at Jockey Hollow brought many significant people and events to the Morristown region from 1779 through June 1780.
– It had been the location Washington chose for winter quarters for the army in 1777, after the battles of Trenton and Princeton. The small farming village consisted of some seventy buildings and about two-hundred-fifty people, and the private homes offered generals the accommodations they were looking for. Morristown was the County Seat, and a crossroads town that could provide main roads to either Philadelphia to the south or West Point to the north. Once established as the site of General Washington’s headquarters, Morristown became a central hub of communication, and a destination for commanders and dignitaries seeking private talks with the commander.
– Throughout the winter, the Army kept its military supplies in Springfield. On June 23, the British moved through Connecticut Farms and attacked Springfield, even as Continentals and Jersey militias fought to slow the invaders down. The British burned over twenty buildings, including Springfield Presbyterian Church, which hid some military supplies. James Thacher questioned the motive of the attack: “… If it was to force their way to Morristown, to destroy our magazines and stores, they were disappointed; if to burn the village of Springfield, they are welcome to the honor of the exploit.”
– Smaller than Elizabethtown to the east and Springfield to the west, Connecticut Farms was the unfortunate spot where the British attack of June 7 reached its frustrated end. With Morristown well beyond reach, the British took vengeance on the guerilla-style tactics of the American soldiers and militia and burned not just buildings but orchards and chicken coops too. In the chaos, they shot Mrs. Hannah Caldwell, wife of revolutionary leader Parson James Caldwell. News of the story may have helped to keep the militia presence strong on June 23, when the invaders once again pushed into it and then beyond, only to be met with enough resistance to retreat for good.
– Westfield, like Elizabethtown, was a small town where military supplies were kept. Westfield was used to store building and other supplies, such as hay and boards. Westfield would also be depended upon as a site for providing men to fight in the militia effort, to help support the thinning ranks of the Continental Army as the winter of 1780 gave way to spring.
– Governor William Livingston’s home was located in Elizabethtown, where some Loyalist pockets thrived. For additional protection, General Washington stationed units on outpost duty in Elizabethtown, and other towns like it. These outposts guarded roads to camp and kept watch for any troop movements, such as a village raid or a major attack in the spring. Elizabethtown would be the engagement point in June. The British moved on to Connecticut Farms, only to burn buildings and retreat to Elizabethtown to hold there for another sixteen days. On June 23, the British pushed as far as Springfield before retreating through Elizabethtown and leaving New Jersey for good.
