Newburgh

Washington Establishes Headquarters at Hasbrouck House

Washington established his headquarters at Hasbrouck House in Newburgh in April 1782, as the army settled into the long wait for peace negotiations. The strategic position on the Hudson bluff gave visibility over the river and proximity to the New Windsor cantonment. He would remain for sixteen months — the longest continuous stay at any single headquarters of the war.

Washington Establishes Badge of Military Merit (Purple Heart Precursor)

On August 7, 1782, Washington issued general orders from Hasbrouck House establishing the Badge of Military Merit — a decoration for enlisted men and NCOs who showed "singularly meritorious action." The heart-shaped purple cloth badge was awarded to three soldiers. Dormant for 150 years, it was revived as the Purple Heart in 1932. The original order was issued from Newburgh.

Officers' Committee Travels to Congress to Demand Pay

A committee of officers headed by General McDougall traveled to Philadelphia in January 1783 to present Congress with demands for back pay, half-pay pensions, and settlement of accounts. Congress, nearly bankrupt, could not satisfy the demands. The committee returned to Newburgh in February with no resolution — setting the stage for the Newburgh Conspiracy the following month.

Anonymous Newburgh Addresses Circulated Among Officers

On March 10, 1783, anonymous letters — later identified as written by Major John Armstrong Jr. — began circulating at the Newburgh cantonment. The letters expressed the officers' frustrations with Congress and implied the army might need to take matters into its own hands. A meeting was called for March 11, later moved to March 15. Washington immediately called the meeting unauthorized and issued his own summons.

Washington Addresses Officers — Newburgh Conspiracy Ends

Washington walked into the Temple building at the New Windsor cantonment and addressed his officers on March 15, 1783. He argued that an army acting against its civilian government would destroy the republic it had created. Then, reaching for his spectacles — which he had not worn publicly before — he said he had grown gray and nearly blind in the service of his country. Several officers wept. The conspiracy collapsed. His performance that afternoon is considered one of the most consequential acts of political leadership in American history.

Washington Proclaims Cessation of Hostilities

On April 19, 1783 — the eighth anniversary of Lexington and Concord — Washington issued a proclamation from Hasbrouck House announcing the cessation of hostilities with Great Britain. The timing was deliberate. The army at the Newburgh cantonment heard the proclamation read aloud. The war was effectively over, though the formal Treaty of Paris would not be ratified until January 1784.

Society of the Cincinnati Founded at Newburgh Cantonment

The Society of the Cincinnati, an organization for Continental Army officers and their descendants, was founded at the Newburgh cantonment on May 13, 1783. Washington became its first president-general. The society immediately became controversial — critics including Jefferson argued hereditary military organizations were incompatible with republican principles. Its founding at Newburgh, just two months after the conspiracy, added irony to the debate.

Continental Army Begins Disbanding from Newburgh

Following the April peace proclamation, Congress authorized gradual disbanding of the Continental Army. Soldiers at the Newburgh cantonment began departing in spring and summer 1783, most with certificates acknowledging back pay claims rather than actual payment. Furloughed soldiers — many walking home hundreds of miles without cash — represented the human cost of the republic's financial failure to honor its military commitments.

Washington Departs Newburgh Headquarters

Washington departed Hasbrouck House on August 18, 1783, ending sixteen months at his final military headquarters. He traveled to Rocky Hill, New Jersey, then to Annapolis, Maryland, where he resigned his commission before Congress on December 23, 1783. The departure from Newburgh was the end of his role as commander — the farewell to officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York in December completed the transition.

Treaty of Paris Ratified — War Formally Ends

The Continental Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784, formally ending the Revolutionary War. Washington had already resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon. The army that had camped at Newburgh was largely gone. The ratification completed the legal framework of independence — but the political and military work that made it possible had been done, and nearly undone, at Newburgh in the preceding two years.

New York State Purchases Hasbrouck House as Historic Site

In 1850, New York State purchased Hasbrouck House from the Hasbrouck family, making it one of the first publicly owned historic sites in America and the first site specifically acquired for its association with George Washington. The purchase reflected the growing 19th-century movement to preserve Revolutionary War sites. The site has been a public museum ever since.