Nathanael Greene looked at other locations for the 1780 winter encampment, and consulted with George Washington to figure which was best. Take a look at these other choices, as well as the British winter camp in New York.
– Located west of two natural barriers (a long hook-shaped range of the Watchung Mountains, and the Great Swamp), Jockey Hollow provided sloping hills with dry ground, and a dense forest of valuable wood. Small towns in the thirty miles from Morristown to the Hudson could be counted on for support. That's where the army stationed units on outpost duty to keep watch for any troop movements. Morristown’s added appeal included its connection to main roads, its population’s history of support for the rebel cause, and its supply of private homes to host generals in need of a place to spend the winter.
– Nathanael Greene’s look at this future site of Parsippany yielded good news regarding supplies for food and firewood: “… divided into small farms, good…is a great quantity of Wood.” But further exploration of the landscape where over ten thousand men would be hutted soon showed a great problem: "…but the ground is so wet and swampy that it is totally unfit for an encampment,” wrote Greene.
– This location was similar to the Aquakinunk location, as Nathanael Greene described the presence of small farms and small wooded lots. While close to the Watchungs, it sits east of the range and so it had none of the protective benefits that the Watchungs offered in the face of an attack from the east. In fact, the idea of using Scotch Plains was dropped early because it had already been attacked by the British in October, 1779.
– Nathanael Greene reported that this location, called Aquakinunk at the time, was considered an excellent choice, meeting nearly all the requirements laid out by Washington. Greene stated that the land was “…divided into small farms, each of which has only a small wood Lot.” It was this location, along with Jockey Hollow, that Greene proposed as the two best choices when he finally communicated with Washington. The General felt that Aquakinunk was too close to New York, and could be more easily reached by the British.
– The main British base of operations was in New York, about thirty miles east of Morristown – a march of about two days for a military unit of the time. Commanding the Hudson made naval transportation of soldiers and supplies easier, but the British also planned on resources and protection from outposts in Staten Island, and considered New Jersey ripe for foraging raids to gather food and wood. Staten Island was also a Loyalist haven, and could provide a large area from which to launch a massive invasion. When the British eventually did attack, they came through Staten Island on their way to Elizabethtown Point in New Jersey.
