General Anthony Wayne Traditional Cache

Morristown National Historical Park commemorates the sites of General Washington and the Continental army’s winter encampment of December 1779 to June 1780. Where the Continental Army survived through what would be the coldest winter on record, as well as the Pennsylvania Line mutiny.

On January 1, 1781, General Anthony Wayne served was as commanding officer of the Pennsylvania Line of the Continental Army when pay and condition concerns led to the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny, one of the most serious of the war. General Wayne tried to convince the soldiers to return to order peacefully, but while the soldiers promised not to defect to the British, they would not be satisfied until Pennsylvania redressed their grievances.

Wayne followed his troops and dispatched letters to Washington and the Pennsylvania government. The Line set up a temporary headquarters in the town of Princeton, New Jersey and selected a Board of Sergeants to speak for them, headed by Sergeant William Bouzar, who had previously served in the British Army. He successfully resolved the mutiny by dismissing about half the line. He returned the Pennsylvania Line to full strength by May 1781.

The Continental Army of over 10,000 soldiers reached Jockey Hollow, their "wintering ground" in the bitter weather of December 1779. The area was a windswept forest in the hills a few miles southwest of Morristown, NJ.

Morristown at the time of the time of the American Revolution was a farming village of approximately 250 people. With a large area of trees for hut construction. The farms in the area grew various crops including wheat, corn, rye, oats, buckwheat, apples and flax. The Wick and Kimble farms, in the hills approximately four miles southwest of Morristown – called Jockey Hollow – included the windswept forest that became the “wintering ground” for the Continental Army, well over 10,000 soldiers.

The area was a windswept forest, and, as it was an advantageous position, they were expected to encamp there for a long while. It was used by portions of the Continental Army for a total of 24 months during the American Revolution, including that famous winter of 1779-1780.

Washington ordered that his army build a “log-house city” there. But when soldiers first arrived in Jockey Hollow for their winter encampment, no log houses were yet built, and they had no choice but to sleep out in the open in the snow. Wagons with tents arrived a few days later than did the soldiers. More than 600 acres of oak, walnut and chestnut were converted into lines of soldier huts that rose on the hillsides. Impeded by the weather, the work of felling the great forest and erecting hundreds of cabins went slowly. Almost all of December, the men slept under tents or with no covering at all. A number were not under roofs until February the following year. There were about 1,000 to 1,200 log structures in Jockey Hollow.

Eight infantry brigades occupied the site for seven months. General Washington had ordered that enlisted mens’ huts were to be built first. Therefore, officers’ huts were not built and completed until all the enlisted men were settled theirs. It took about two to three weeks for the soldiers to build their huts. The majority of the enlisted men in the Continental Army were poor, lower class men. A good number of these men were not even born in America. Army officers, on the other hand, were from middle to upper class society and were often land owners. The enlisted men moved into their huts around Christmas. The last of the officers didn’t have their huts until mid February. In all, there were about 1,000 to 1,200 log structures built in Jockey Hollow. Each measured 14 feet by 16 feet and housed 12 men.

This geocache is approved by Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown NJ. Meeting historic and educational guidelines providing information about the American Revolution.

These educational "Jockey Hollow's Morristown National Park geocaches" are in conjunction with the upcoming "New Jersey American Revolution Geo~Trail" which will be located throughout New Jersey. The Geo trail geocaches are hidden at historic locations which have a connection to important New Jersey's American Revolutionary War history.

The Northern New Jersey Cachers, NNJC is about promoting a quality caching experience in Northern New Jersey. For information on The Northern New Jersey Cachers group you can visit: www.nnjc.org.