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New Jersey caught in the middle of the American Revolutiuon
New Jersey was vital in the birth of our nation. It wasn't just the citizens of the state nor the leaders that rode through, but the landscape played a massive role in defeating the British. From the Atlantic Coast, up the Delaware and Hudson Rivers, to the strategic points of Morristown and the Watchung Mountains. A lack of big cities made rural Jersey an ideal area to fight a guerilla style war. -
New Jersey officially breaks ties with the British Crown
NJ Provincial Congress at Burlington votes 53-3 to break ties with Great Britain, Burlington, New Jersey. -
Fort Lee and Fort Washington built
George Washington's troops build Fort Lee on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River while they also construct Fort Washington in New York opposite Fort Lee. -
The Constitution of the State of New Jersey
This officially recognized New Jersey that from a colony into a state. -
Ratification of the Declaration of Independence
One of the most widely held misconceptions about the Declaration of Independence is that it was signed on July 4, 1776. In fact, independence was formally declared on July 2, 1776. On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the final text of the Declaration. It wasn’t signed until August 2, 1776. -
Fort Lee falls to the British as George Washington and his troops retreat
American losses numbered 59 killed, 96 wounded, and 2,838 captured. Of those taken prisoner, only around 800 survived their captivity to be exchanged the following year. Three days after the fall of Fort Washington, American troops were forced to abandon Fort Lee. Retreating across New Jersey, the remains of Washington's army finally halted after crossing the Delaware River. -
Battle at Trenton
General George Washington’s army crossed the icy Delaware on Christmas Day 1776. He won two crucial battles of the American Revolution. In the Battle of Trenton (December 26), Washington defeated a formidable garrison of Hessian mercenaries before withdrawing. A week later he returned to Trenton to lure British forces south, then executed a daring night march to capture Princeton on January 3. -
Battle at Princeton
In a stroke of strategic genius, General George Washington manages to evade conflict with General Charles Cornwallis.
Washington left his campfires burning, muffled the wheels of his army's wagons and snuck around the side of the British camp. As the Continentals headed north at dawn, they met the straggling British rear guard, which they outnumbered 5 to 1.
Forty Patriots and 275 British soldiers died during ensuing Battle of Princeton. -
Isaac Collins Announces First Newspaper in New Jersey
The New Jersey Gazette was the state's first printed news media. This was important because New Jersey recieved the news from both New York City and Philadelphia, which both had been captured by British Forces at this time. The paper helped inform citizens and military personnel of events. -
Battle at Monmouth
Washington's timely arrival on the battlefield rallied the Americans along a hilltop hedgerow. Washington consolidated his troops in a new line on heights behind marshy ground, used his artillery to fix the British in their positions, then brought up a fourgun battery under Major General Nathanael Greene on nearby Combs Hill to enfilade the British line, making Cornwallis to withdraw. Finally, Washington tried to hit the exhausted British rear guard on both flanks, but darkness ended the fight. -
New Jersey Ratification of the Articles of Confederation
When congress reconvened in June of 1778, the delegates learned that Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey refused to ratify the Articles. The Articles required unanimous approval from the states. These smaller states wanted other states to relinquish their western land claims before they would ratify the Articles, New Jersey and Delaware eventually agreed to the conditions of the Articles, with New Jersey ratifying them on Nov 20, 1778. -
Washington moves army into winter quarters at Morristown for the most severe winter of the century.
Ford Mansion was used as General Washington's Headquarters from December 1, 1779- June 23,1780, during the second winter encampment in Morristown. At the time, between 10-12,000 of Washington's soldiers camped several miles away in Jockey Hollow. The winter was an unbelievably brutal one, and conditions were very bad for the soldiers at Jockey Hollow.
