NJ, USA
Washington Establishes Headquarters at Ford Mansion
January 7, 1777
Washington requisitioned the mansion of the recently deceased Colonel Jacob Ford Jr. as his headquarters for the first winter encampment. Theodosia Ford, the colonel's widow, was confined to two rooms while Washington and his staff occupied the rest of the house. The Ford Mansion served as the command center from which Washington directed intelligence operations, coordinated with Congress, and planned the spring campaign.
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.
Morristown widow (1741-1824) who shared her family mansion with Washington's military household during the first winter encampment while managing the Ford estate after her husband's death.
Washington's chief aide-de-camp during both Morristown encampments, Hamilton managed correspondence, gathered intelligence, and grew increasingly frustrated with the weak central government that left the army starving.
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.