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MTOWN_090601_003.JPG: Morristown National Historical Park:
"The situation of the army with respect to supplies is beyond description alarming."
-- General George Washington to the Governors of Five States, Headquarters, Morristown, December 16, 1779
Welcome to Morristown National Historical Park. Please begin your exploration by taking the path to the right to the Washington's Headquarters Museum.
In the museum, you will learn about Morristown, New Jersey's crucial role during the American Revolution; you will begin your town of the Ford Mansion, George Washington's headquarters from December 1779 until June 1780; and you will discover the American Revolution's legacy and the park's ongoing efforts in historic preservation.
In addition to George Washington's headquarters, Morristown National Historical Park includes Jockey Hollow and the New Jersey Brigade area, where 10,000 to 13,000 troops encamped from 1779 to 1780; and Fort Nonsense, the site of the fortification from the 1777 encampment. Information about visiting the park is available in the museum.
MTOWN_090601_009.JPG: Visitor's center
MTOWN_090601_014.JPG: Ford Mansion where Washington stayed
MTOWN_090601_033.JPG: First Church of Christ Science
MTOWN_090601_039.JPG: Continental Army
Encampments
at Morristown
1777 - 1781
Life Guard Camp.
On this site, the Commander in
Chief's guard was encamped from
December 1779 to June 1780.
The guard was reorganized in
Morristown during the first
encampment in 1777 and again in 1780.
Washington made his headquarters
in the Ford House opposite.
Erected in 1952 by
Tempe Wicke Society
Children of the American Revolution
MTOWN_090601_131.JPG: [on the visitor center]
Historical Museum
Morristown
National Historical Park
AD 1935
National Park Service
Department of the Interior
MTOWN_090601_501.JPG: [Fort Nonsense now ]
This stone marks the site of
Fort Nonsense
An earthenwork built by the
Continental Army in the
winter of 1779-80.
Erected by the
Washington Association of New Jersey
1888.
MTOWN_090601_506.JPG: View of Morristown from Fort Nonsense
MTOWN_090601_515.JPG: Fort Nonsense:
To protect his army and supplies from a British attack, General George Washington ordered the construction of a small fortification on the hill overlooking Morristown during the Spring of 1777. This became known as the "upper redoubt" and included a "guardhouse sufficient to contain 30 men..." As it turned out, the British never came and the fortification was never called on to defend the town.
The name "Fort Nonsense" first appeared after the war. It was said that the fort was called "Nonsense" because it was built to kept the troops busy. This is probably untrue as Washington, throughout the war, demonstrated the military value of holding the high ground.
MTOWN_090601_528.JPG: The Lay of the Land:
The Watchung Mountains belong to a chain of ridges running from New Brunswick to West Point. They shielded the army from the British in New York City and helped protect the roads from Philadelphia to New England by way of West Point.
Located in a long valley west of the mountains, Morristown became an army supply center. Connecting roads brought in supplies from the surrounding region. Local rivers powered iron forges, grist mills, sawmills, and a gunpowder mill; all providing essential supplies for the army.
MTOWN_090601_552.JPG: Morristown:
Morristown was a village of about 70 buildings in 1777.
General George Washington, Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, brought his tired troops to Morristown for rest and reorganization in January 1777. They had just completed successful attacks against the Hessian and British troops at Trenton and Princeton. The new year brought an end to many enlistments and Washington's regular army dwindled in size to a few thousand men. He warned the Continental Congress "to the Situation... of scarce having any army at all." Encouraged by the recent military victories, enlistments increased by spring and the army regained its strength, numbering about 10,000 men.
George Washington lodged at Arnold's Tavern, once located near the base of this hill next to the Green. The soldiers stayed in houses or encamped at various places near the town. A Delaware light infantry company stayed at the Colonel Jacob Ford house on the eastern edge of town.
MTOWN_090601_559.JPG: The Upper Redoubt:
No records exist from historical times to tell us exactly what the fortifications here looked like. Archaeological evidence reveals the location of walls and ditches. The stones you see mark the inside of the walls and form an outline of the redoubt. Cannon were also part of the defense. You are invited to walk the outline to better experience the size and shape of the redoubt.
MTOWN_090601_562.JPG: Stones mark the outline of the upper redoubt
MTOWN_090601_565.JPG: Iron:
At Morristown, Washington was close to the northern New Jersey iron furnaces of Hibernia, Pompton, Mount Hope, and Ringwood. Cannon balls and shells from these furnaces were on frequent order for the Continental Army during much of the Revolution. Firebacks, kitchen implements and iron bars or "pigs" were also produced at these casting works.
During the war, two great chains of large iron links were placed across the Hudson River as an obstruction to British warships. The first was made at nearby Ringwood Furnace and placed at Fort Montgomery. It was replaced by an even large chain at West Point with links measuring about 10 to 30 inches.
MTOWN_090601_575.JPG: Jockey Hollow Visitor Center
MTOWN_090601_582.JPG: Visitor Center displays
MTOWN_090601_630.JPG: Wick Farm
MTOWN_090601_703.JPG: Heating box. You put cinders in here.
MTOWN_090601_733.JPG: Wick Farm Garden.
These plants and plots recreate a farm garden during the American Revolution.
This year's garden has been researched, worked, and interpreted by the Herb
Society of America, Northern New Jersey
Unit, in cooperation with --
Morristown National Historical Park
National Park Service
MTOWN_090601_740.JPG: Greater Lobella
Remedy for Venereal Diseases
MTOWN_090601_790.JPG: A Revolutionary Winter:
Morristown National Historic Park commemorates the suffering of the Continental Army during the terrible winter encampment of 1779-1780. It commemorates also the ability and leadership of George Washington.
The main part of Washington's army camped in Jockey Hollow during that winter. There were no smiling fields and shady trails -- just snow and cold, bitter cold. The rural comfort of Henry Wick's farm sheltered many of the cold 10,000 who camped in huts and prayed for spring.
MTOWN_090601_791.JPG: The Pennsylvania Line:
The First and Second Pennsylvania Brigades -- the Pennsylvania Line -- was the backbone of Washington's army. From the invasion of Canada in 1775 to the victory at Yorktown in 1781, Pennsylvania troops served in almost every major battle.
At Monmouth, which began as an American calamity and ended no worse than a draw, Pennsylvanians held the American positions during the initial retreat until Washington put things to rights.
Anthony Wayne, who commanded the Second Brigade, wrote of his men:
"I would risk my soul that they would sell their lives or liberties at too dear a rate for Britons to make any purchase."
MTOWN_090601_798.JPG: Settling In:
Washington ordered all the huts to be alike, lined up neatly in rows with the soldiers in front and the officers behind. The men camped in tents until the huts were ready -- Christmas time for the soldiers and January or February for the officers. Then they built the orderly huts, kitchens, and the rest. Altogether they put up over 1,000 huts in Jockey Hollow. The Pennsylvania Line had about 200 of them lines up on the hillside in front of you.
MTOWN_090601_802.JPG: Pennsylvania Line
MTOWN_090601_806.JPG: Note that none of the huts are alike -- the NPS is showing that Washington's orders about the huts being identical weren't always obeyed.
MTOWN_090601_935.JPG: Inspections:
Faces and hands washed... beards close shaven... hair combed and tied if long enough... shoes clean... clothes brushed....
And cartridge boxes... Washington worried often about cartridge boxes. Unless they kept a soldier's powder dry, his musket was useless.
Despite every effort, cartridge boxes often fell short of standards -- lack of money and shortages of leather. So... a captain inspected cartridge boxes every morning.
MTOWN_090601_939.JPG: The Grand Parade:
A focal point of the sprawling "log cabin city" at Jockey Hollow was the Grand Parade. Each day, guard details assembled here for inspection and General Orders from Washington's headquarters were distributed. This was also the site of formal military reviews. And it was here that those guilty of serous crimes were executed and buried.
The original Parade Ground was located beyond this open ground, in the woods to the north. It was 400 yards long and 100 yards wide -- six times the size of this clearing.
MTOWN_090601_946.JPG: Guards:
Each day's guard reported here [at the parade ground] for inspection, a short drill, and the daily parole and countersign. From here they relieved the previous day's guard.
The camp guard -- 27 men from every 2 regiments -- surrounded Jockey Hollow with a chain of sentinels. A picket guard -- 2 officers and 50 men -- assembled daily and "lay on their arms" waiting for orders.
MTOWN_090601_952.JPG: The original Parade Ground was located beyond this open ground, in the woods to the north. It was 400 yards long and 100 yards wide -- six times the size of this clearing.
MTOWN_090601_965.JPG: The Guerin House:
When Washington's soldiers camped in Jockey Hollow, they occupied parts of blacksmith Joshua Guerin's land. Part of this house stood here then.
MTOWN_090601_968.JPG: The Guerin House:
When Washington's soldiers camped in Jockey Hollow, they occupied parts of blacksmith Joshua Guerin's land. Parts of his house stood here then.
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Wikipedia Description: Morristown National Historical Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Morristown National Historical Park consists of three sites, the Ford Mansion, Fort Nonsense, and Jockey Hollow that were important during the American Revolutionary War, which began in 1775 and was ended in 1783 by the Treaty of Paris. Morristown is called the military capital of the revolution because of its strategic location, being the source for many essential supplies, and being used twice as the winter headquarters for George Washington.
Jockey Hollow, a few miles south of Morristown, New Jersey was the site of a Continental Army encampment.
Fort Nonsense occupied a high hilltop overlooking Morristown, and is believed to have been the site of a signal fire, along with earthworks.
The Ford Mansion, atop a beautiful hilltop in Morristown was the site of the "hard winter" (December 1779 - May 1780) quarters of George Washington and the Continental Army. That winter remains the coldest on record for New Jersey. Theodosia Ford, widow of Jacob Ford, and her three children shared their household with Washington, his staff, including Alexander Hamilton, along with their servants and sometimes, their family members. Martha Washington traveled to Morristown to spend the winter with her husband. The adjacent museum is being remodeled and should be open again in 2007.
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (NJ -- Morristown NHP) directly related to this one:
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2009 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used the Fuji S100fs. I've also got a Nikon D90 and a newer Fuji -- the S200EHX -- both of which are nice but I still prefer the flexibility of the Fuji.
Trips this year:
Niagara Falls, NY,
New York City,
Civil War Trust conferences in Gettysburg, PA and Springfield, IL, and
my 4th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Los Angeles, Yosemite, Death Valley, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree, etc).
Ego strokes: I had a picture of a Lincoln-Obama cupcake sculpture published in Civil War Times and WUSA-9, the local CBS affiliate, ran a quick piece on me. A picture that I took at the annual Abraham Lincoln Symposium appeared in the National Archives' "Prologue" magazine. I became a volunteer with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Number of photos taken this year: 417,000.
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