1
Jan
1777
Neilson House Used as Military Headquarters
New Brunswick, NJ· range date
1Person Involved
50Significance
The Story
The home of patriot merchant John Neilson served as a headquarters for Continental Army officers during operations around New Brunswick. Neilson, who served as a militia brigadier general, made his property available for military use throughout the war.
The Neilson House, located near the Raritan River, provided a strategic vantage point for observing British movements in and around the town. The building survived the war and subsequent centuries and remains one of the few standing Revolutionary-era structures in New Brunswick, offering a tangible connection to the town's military significance.
Sources for New Brunswick
Lord Cornwallis's Reports on the Pursuit Across New Jersey, 1776
UK National Archives, War Office PapersNew Jersey Gazette, 1777-1783
New Jersey State Library, Newspaper CollectionsRutgers University Libraries
Washington's Crossing
Oxford University Press (David Hackett Fischer)Library of Congress, George Washington Papers
allthingsliberty.com
www.hmdb.org
www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com
Middlesex County Historical Society: Revolutionary War Collections
Middlesex County Historical SocietyPortrait of a General: Sir William Howe and the War of American Independence
Alfred A. Knopf (William B. Willcox)Queens College (Rutgers) and the American Revolution
Rutgers University PressTen Crucial Days: Washington's Vision for Victory Unfolds
Knox Press (William L. Kidder)New Brunswick City Tourism