The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-02-21
STATES
GRAND RECORD
Washington Found MOrriStOwn
aSafe Retreat.

"A
diers. Whose Hearts However
Burned with Patriotic Zeal.
"From New Jersey as a Colony and
as a State" just published by Francis
Bailey Lee, with whom were asso-
ciated as editors the following we'll
known Jerseymen, the late General
Vim Stryker. and Messrs. VIM.
Nelson, Garret D. W. Vroom and
Ernest 9. Richardson, we publish the
following interesting account OF
Washington's two winters spent at
Morristown, and other incidents con-
nected with the trying scenes enacted
in Morristown during the struggle
for American Independence:
The FIRST Winter at Morristown.
The close of the battle of Princeton
found both the troops of CORVALLIS
and Washington utterly exhausted. In
a little less than two months Wash
ington had turned an almost certain
defeat into victory, had scattered the
British commander s dreams of future
conquest, and had driven sthe Kings
troops from West Jersey. Except
for the region around Amboy and
New Brunswick, all of New Jersey
had passed from the hands of the
British.
To provide winter quarters for his
army, giving at least semblance OF
relief to men worn out with the IA
tigues of a winter campaign, General
Washington turned toward Morrls-
town. Upon the day of the battle OF
Princeton he pursued the flying Brl-
tish regiments as far as Kingston,
where he destroyed the bridge, and,
turning to the left, halted for the
night at Milestone, then known as
Somerset Court House. Here his
headquarters were at the house OF
John DanVoren. Upon the afternoon
of Sunday the 9Th of January, the
army reached Pluckemin, where was
buried with military honors, Captain
Leslie of the Seventeenth British re-
giment, who, wounded at the Battle
of Princeton, had been under the care
of DR.. Benjamin Rush. The next
day just before sunset the American
troops reached Morristown, General
Washington taking for his head
quarters a tavern owned and kept by
Colonel Jacob Arnold. This frame
building stood upon the northwest
side of the public square. From the
advantageous situation which Morris
town afforded General Washington
had the British hemmed into the mar
row tract of land between New Bruins
wick and Perth Amboy, in country
from which supplies had been ex-
hausted. After the horrors of the
retreat through the Jerseys General
Washington wrote with satisfaction
to Governor Cooke, of Rhode Island,
that affairs in Morristown "are in
yery prosperous train''-a situation
more relative than real.
Fortunately, however, the enemy
was kept in ignorance of the true size
of the American army. The terms of
militia service expiring, an event OF
almost weekly occurrence, and the
arrival of but few new regiments,
kept the roster rolls in a constant
state of fuctuation. This condition
gave General Washington no little
fear that a sudden and successful at
tack might be made upon him should
the British commanders learn the true
situation of his dependent condition.
Upon the 30th of November, 1776,
Lord Howe and General Howe had
issued proclamation promising to
the American "rebels'' amnesty pro-
viding those accepting such favor
should return to their allegiance
within sixty days. A counter-procla-
nation was issued upon January %,
1777, which commanded and required
every one signing Howe's proclama-
tion to deliver any such protection,
C0TU1uChC0, dnA pnSopOIb, uAu AuA OHOA
to take the oath of allegiance to the
United States or Withdraw within the
British lines. Although General
Washington proclamation was issued
as an act of the highest military ne
cessity the legislature of New Jersey
regarded it as blow at State suprem.
acy.
During the latter part of February
and the month of March the situation
of the American troops in Morris
town was deplorable. 'The cry OF
want of provision comes to me from
all quarters General Maxwell writes
word that his men are starving, y is
the message that General Washington
upon the anniversary of his birth
February 22-sent to Commissary IT.
vine. Opposed TO General Howe's
ten Thousand troops, we'll disciplined
and we'll appointed, gathered or
board the transports at Amboy and in
the nearby country, were the Ameri'
can militia at and near Morristown-
''raw, badly Differed, and under nc
government. !" By the middle of the
month Washington wrote to the Pres
ident of Congress that the total mum.