42. Forage Wars and the Vermeule Patriots Traditional Cache

While armies traditionally did not fight during the winter, the Americans and British spent 1776-1777 engaged in a state of low-level hostility. The “Forage War,” an insurgency campaign largely conducted by local New Jersey militia companies, harassed the British foraging parties whenever they ventured out into the countryside to gather food for their army (a practice known as foraging). It hamstrung the British, and their indiscriminate reprisals against New Jersey civilians turned a mostly Loyalist state into a staunchly pro-Independence one.

The Vermeules, a family of Dutch extraction, were “among the earliest and most influential settlers” along the Green Brook in what is now North Plainfield. The Vermeules’ local landholdings had encompassed well over 1,000 acres included a house in the current location of the Van Derventer Brunson House, as a homestead built in 1736.  

The Vermeule family called their homestead “The Blue Hills Plantation.” from the view of the Watchung Mountains. The Revolutionary War came to their homestead which supported thousands of American soldiers with sustenance and medical care.

This cache is one of "The American Revolution Geo~Trail" caches throughout New Jersey. These special geocaches are hidden at many historic locations which have a connection to important New Jersey's American Revolutionary War history. To participate in the optional Geo-Trail, after you find the geocache, locate the secret code and record it into your passport which you will print from this website. Information at njpatriots.org

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.