NJ, USA
Continental Army Returns to Morristown for Second Encampment
December 1, 1779
Washington selected Morristown for a second winter encampment, bringing approximately 10,000 troops to the area. The army established its main camp at Jockey Hollow, south of the town, where soldiers began constructing over 1,000 log huts. Washington again took up residence at the Ford Mansion. The encampment was far larger than the first, and the strain on local resources and civilian property was correspondingly greater.
People Involved
Virginia planter and Continental Army commander-in-chief who owned and managed Mount Vernon's enslaved workforce. Absent from his estate for most of the war, he directed Lund Washington's management by correspondence and returned to find the plantation's human community shaped by eight years of wartime disruption.
Continental Army major general (1742-1786) who served as quartermaster general during the Morristown winter encampments and later commanded the Southern Department.
Prussian military officer (1730-1794) who served as inspector general of the Continental Army and continued his training program at Morristown after establishing it at Valley Forge.
Enlisted Continental soldier whose published memoir provides the most vivid enlisted man's account of the Morristown winters, documenting starvation, freezing, and the daily reality of service in Washington's army.
Joined Washington at Morristown during both winter encampments, managing the headquarters household, organizing sewing circles to produce clothing for soldiers, and hosting events to maintain officer morale.