The New Jersey Brigade Encampment Site, also called the New Jersey Brigade Area, was used by the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

in the winter of 1779–80, during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The site is located in Bernardsville,

Somerset County, New Jersey Somerset County is a county located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 345,361, an increase of 21,917 (6.8%) from the 323,444 counted at the 2010 U.S Cen ...

and extends into Harding Township, Morris County. About 1,300 men of the New Jersey Brigade were encamped here. It is one of four contributing sites of the

Morristown National Historical Park Morristown National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park, headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, consisting of four sites important during the American Revolutionary War: Jockey Hollow, the Ford Mansion, Fort Nonsense ...

. The Cross Estate Gardens property was added in 1975. The

Patriots' Path The Patriots' Path is a multi-use trail system in Morris County, New Jersey, open to cyclists, hikers, and horseback riders, consisting of a main trail and of spur trails. The main trail is marked with white blazes or a white circular blaz ...

, also known as the New Jersey Brigade Trail here, is needed to access the marked historical sites. One trailhead is on Hardscrabble Road, another on Jockey Hollow Road.

History

During the "Hard Winter" of 1779–80, the

encamped at nearby

Jockey Hollow Jockey Hollow is the name for an area in southern Morris County, New Jersey farmed in the 18th century by the Wick, Guerin and Kemble families. The origin of the name is still uncertain, but was used as such at the time of the American Revolution ...

except for the New Jersey Brigade, which encamped here. The New Jersey units were the 1st New Jersey Regiment, 2nd New Jersey Regiment, 3rd New Jersey Regiment and Spencer's Regiment.

Gallery

File:Patriots' Path, New Jersey Brigade Area, Bernardsville, NJ.jpg,

leading to campsites File:Hearth, New Jersey Brigade Area, Bernardsville, NJ.jpg, Fireplace remains File:New Jersey Brigade information sign, Bernardsville, NJ.jpg, New Jersey 7th Brigade File:Passaic River, New Jersey Brigade Area, Bernardsville, NJ.jpg,

Passaic River Passaic River ( ) is a river, approximately long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, ...

from footbridge on the Patriots' Path

References

External links

* * * * Bernardsville, New Jersey Harding Township, New Jersey Morristown National Historical Park National Register of Historic Places in Morris County, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Somerset County, New Jersey Historic district contributing properties in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places {{NewJersey-NRHP-stub