NJ, USA
Morristown Intelligence Network Operations
January 15, 1777
During the first winter encampment, Washington established and expanded intelligence networks operating from Morristown. The town's position behind the Watchung Mountains provided security for espionage operations directed against British-held New York and New Jersey. Spies and scouts moved between Morristown and British lines, gathering information about troop movements, supply shipments, and fortification construction. These networks provided the intelligence that shaped Washington's strategic decisions throughout 1777.
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.
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.