New Jersey was strategically located between the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and the British command center in New York City. From 1775 until 1783, New Jersey was the location of major battles, thousands of smaller battles, engagements, skirmishes, raids, and ambushes. All involving regular troops, militia units and loyalist units. New Jersey has many historic homes, battlefield sites and historical monuments which bear testament to this history. New Jersey had more engagements than any other state during the war, closely followed by South Carolina.
For these reasons New Jersey has become known as the "Crossroads of the American Revolution". Although most battles were fought in southern New Jersey such as at Fort Monmouth, Fort Mercer and Trenton, Northern New Jersey offers many historical sites from this era. Prominent figures in American history who made their way through New Jersey during the war years included Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold, George Washington and Thomas Paine among others.
Major actions in New Jersey:
Nov 16th 1776 Fort Washington was overwhelmingly defeated. The British took possession of New York City, forcing the Patriots to abandon New York. General Washington crossed the Hudson River into New Jersey and watched the fight from the cliffs at Fort Lee.
Nov. 20th, 1776 British turned their sights upon Fort Lee and Northern New Jersey.General Howe captured 2,818 rebel officers and men and killed 53. The British invaders lost 458 men out of a force of 8000 British and Hessian soldiers. When word of the crossing reached Washington, he ordered the abandonment of Fort Lee and an immediate retreat before his army was cut off and captured by the British. Most of the American supplies and artillery had to be left behind. The Continental army abandoned Fort Lee, retreating, heading southwest through New Jersey. The Continental army fled to Trenton and then across the Delaware into Pennsylvania. New Jersey had fallen to the British Army.
Dec 25th, 1776 The first battle of Trenton On Christmas Day 1776, George Washington, in an absolutely brilliant surprise attack, crossed the near-frozen Delaware River to engage the joint British-Hessian troops at Trenton. The following morning in a swift, well-planned assault, the British were quickly over-powered. After approximately one hour of fighting, 1,000 British and Hessian troops surrendered. The Patriots had suffered only 8 casualties during the operation. Washington crossed the Delaware River and attacked a garrison Hessian troops In a bold daylight attack 2400 American troops with eighteen cannons subdued the Hessians within an hour.
Jan 3rd, 1777 The battle of Princeton The victory at Trenton further bolstered American confidence. They moved northeast, winning another impressive victory at Princeton, on January 3rd, 1777, when they overpowered the British troops, forcing their retreat towards New York. In the meantime, the Americans set up winter quarters in Morristown, New Jersey.
June of 1777 Washington Rock The strategic location of Washington Rock made it a valuable lookout point during the American Revolution for General George Washington.The British army under General William Howe was moving west from Staten Island toward Westfield, General Washington had a forty-mile panoramic view of the valley from the vantage point of this natural rock outcropping and was able to instruct his troops to circle behind Howe’s troops and cut off their retreat.
June 1777 Battle of Short Hills Washington's heavily entrenched stronghold on the Watchung mountains north of Middlebrook, now part on Bound Brook, defied the massed British army of 18,000. General Howe, Planning to attack Philadelphia, was unable to go safely through New Jersey with its militia nipping away at his men, he had to move his men to New Brunswick to board shipping. This prevented the British movement against Philadelphia by land, and caused Howe to move his troops by sea. As the British forces moved back, Washington had some generals move forward, looking for an opportunity to attack a weakened foe. When General Lord Stirling had moved his men to the Short Hills area in what is now Edison, suddenly the hunter became the hunted when Howe sent a larger force to attack them. The Americans, managed to avoid being destroyed fought a delaying battle and most of the American force escaped the trap.
June 28th, 1778 The battle of Monmouth Monmouth was the last battle fought between the two MAIN armies, and the longest. Washington managed to personally rally the troops to withstand the British attacks. As exceedingly high temperatures continued to increase over 100 °F (38 °C), many soldiers fell to sunstroke. Over 1,000 British casualties were incurred; the Americans lost about 452 men. During the battle, a woman known today as Molly Pitcher, a camp follower who brought water to the troops from a nearby spring, took over her husbands place (John Hayes) at a cannon when he was wounded. This battle inspired the legend of Molly Pitcher. After this, the fighting involved secondary forces (though still large forces),as the war shifted to the southern colonies.
August 19th 1779 Major Henry Lee "Light Horse Harry", leads a corps of light dragoons to attack the British fort at Paulus Hook,(Jersey City)where the old canal entered the Hudson, a few hundred yards north of Ellis Island. It has since been backfilled and developed.
December 1st 1779 Washington's veteran Army marched south to Morristown from West Point, into winter quarters to join other brigades and militias arriving from the middle and southern colonies. Washington chose Jockey Hollow as a strategic location to keep an eye on the British occupation of New York City 30 miles away. The encampment in Morristown was one of the Continental Army's severest trials. Washington's leadership and ability held together the ragged and weary Army that represented the country's main hope for independence. Washington moves army at Morristown for the most severe winter of the century.
June 6th,1780 The Battle of Connecticut Farms This was one of the last battles between British and American forces during the American Revolutionary War. At midnight, 5,000 British troops boarded boats on Staten Island bound for Elizabeth, The New Jersey Brigade of the Continental Army, in and around Elizabeth, moved back toward Connecticut Farms, now Union Township, sending word to Morristown to the main army under Washington. The New Jersey brigade was heavily outnumbered. The warnings to the militia also went out, and they began to form up and march toward the British from as far away as Hopewell, New Jersey. After a day of hot fighting, the were attacked by the militia on their flanks. The British realized they could not easily breakthrough toward the Hobart Gap leading to Morristown, and, after burning the town, retired back to Elizabeth point.
June 23rd, 1780 The Battle of Springfield The last major battle to take place in New Jersey and the rest of the Northenrn states during the Revolutionary War. Baron von Knyphausen, the Hessian general, hoped to invade of New Jersey and expected support from the colonists of New Jersey who were tired of the war. His goal was to secure Hobart Gap, from which he could attack the American headquarters situated in Morristown. The British attacked soldiers and militia under the command of Nathanael Greene. General Greene successfully stopped a two-pronged attack from positions held across the Rahway River. The victory prevented a British attack on Morristown and its military stores.
George Washington's leadership and ability throughout the Revolution held together the ragged and weary Army that represented the country's main hope for independence.
George Washington, was also an active Freemason who took Freemasonry extremely seriously. Freemasonry is a secret society and fraternal organization existing in various forms worldwide. It is always understood that FreeMasons have a secret which they carefully conceal; but from every thing that can be collected from their own accounts of Masonry, their real secret is no other than their origin, which but few of them understand; and those who do, envelope it in mystery.
The cache is a 50 Cal. ammo can, to locate the hidden cache corridinates you must follow George Washington's crossroads of the American Revolution.
Washington Valley Park N40.35.776..W074.34.784
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