"Middlebrook encampment" may refer to one of two different seasonal stays of the Continental Army in central New Jersey near the Middlebrook in Bridgewater Township in Somerset County. They are usually differentiated by either the date of the encampment or their chronological order (First vs Second). The First Middlebrook encampment refers to the spring encampment of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

, commanded by General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, during the

American War for Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

near the Middle Brook in

Bridgewater Township, New Jersey Bridgewater Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the heart of the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region. Situated within Central Jersey, Cen ...

(between Martinsville and Bound Brook) in 1777. The second, longer winter cantonment took place in 1778–1779, from December 1 to mid-June. A cantonment is a protracted quartering of an army in a specific location, typically for the duration of the winter. A portion of the first encampment site, known as the Washington Camp Ground, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on July 3, 1975. The Campground is located in Martinsville, a section of Bridgewater Township. The Middlebrook Encampment site includes part of the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain. Its position provided a natural fortress not only protecting the Continental Army but also overlooking the plains towards

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, where the British forces were stationed in 1777. A surviving earthen redoubt believed to date to the 1777 encampment is also located on the mountain within Washington Valley Park. The strategic strength of the army's position on the Watchung or Blue Mountain ridge contributed ultimately to the success of the Continental Army by lengthening the war and wearying the British forces during both of the army's stays.

First Middlebrook or the Spring Encampment (1777)

During the winter of 1776–1777, Washington initially encamped the Continental Army at

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

. After his outpost garrison at Bound Brook was surprised and routed during the

Battle of Bound Brook The Battle of Bound Brook (April 13, 1777) was a surprise attack by British and Hessian forces on a Continental Army outpost in Bound Brook, New Jersey, during the American Revolutionary War. Although the British aimed to capture the garrison, ...

on April 13, 1777, Washington moved the encampment closer to Bound Brook. The army established its Middlebrook encampment on May 28 and stayed there until July 2. A total of 8,298 soldiers were housed in the encampment, but 2,660 of them were sick or disabled, unable to fight. In contrast, the British maintained a force of about 17,000 near

, New Jersey. From the heights of the

Watchung Mountains The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lenape name for them, Wach Unks ...

, Washington could monitor and counteract British movements. When

General Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, (10 August 1729 – 12 July 1814), was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three broth ...

decided to move against

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, concern over the threat by the Continental Army made him choose the safer sea route instead of the faster land route. This led to a significant delay in operations for the British and disrupted plans to reinforce British General Burgoyne in northern New York. On June 30, Howe moved his troops to

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

in preparation for his Philadelphia campaign, and two days later Washington left Middlebrook and moved the army to Pompton Plains, New Jersey.

First flag: June 1777

It is largely conceded that it was at the Middlebrook encampment that the first official

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

was unfurled, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. This event is commemorated annually since 1889 on July 4 with a changing of the flag, a reading of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

, and the delivery of an historical address at the Washington Camp Ground. Also, by special order of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, a Thirteen Star Flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Camp Ground.

Second Middlebrook or the Middlebrook Cantonment (1778–1779)

Source: Washington used the area around Middlebrook and much of central Somerset County as a

cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...

site, known as the Middlebrook Cantonment, during the winter of 1778–1779. He brought about 8,000–10,000 troops to the area between November 30, 1778 and late January, 1779, arriving himself in early December. The main cantonment stretched across a broad swatch of Somerset County including sites in present-day South Bound Brook, the Finderne section of Bridgewater, Somerville, and. Raritan, as well as Pluckemin to the north. Smaller contingents of troops were cantoned at Elizabethtown, Minisink, the New York Highlands, and Danbury, Connecticut. In each of their separate camps at Middlebrook, soldiers constructed cabins from logs covered with clay, but improving on the construction, layout, and organization compared to the previous winter at Valley Forge. The hutting constructed at Pluckemin for the artillery camp was more elaborate. Washington himself rented the Wallace House (now a New Jersey State Historic site) in Somerville for six months to serve as "Headquarters Middlebrook" and paid Wallace $1,000 for this inconvenience. General von Steuben lived at the Staats House in South Bound Brook. General Henry Knox lived at the Jacobus Vanderveer House near Pluckemin with the Continental Artillery encamped at the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment Site. on the hills above Pluckemin.

Nathanael Greene Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...

lived at the Van Veghten House in Finderne. General William Alexander, Lord Stirling, and on occasion, General Richard Henry Lee, occupied the Philip Van Horne House in Bridgewater. All five headquarters are publicly owned National Register sites. The main body of the much larger British army was based in New York that winter. Washington again used the security of the Watchung heights to monitor their troop movements and maintain a strong defensive position. The cantonment ended on June 3, 1779 when Washington led his army north to

Highlands, New York Highlands is a town on the eastern border of Orange County, New York. The population was 12,939 at the 2020 census. West Point, including the United States Military Academy, is located alongside the Hudson River in Highlands. History The t ...

and General John Sullivan began the 1779 summer campaign against the Iroquois Nation.

Today

The Washington Camp Ground, on Middlebrook Road in Bridgewater Township, just north of Route 22, was deemed a historic site by local citizens in 1889, and entered the National Register of Historic Places July 3, 1975. The site is owned and preserved by th
Camp Ground Association Washington Camp Ground Association
which also organizes the annual July 4 program at the site. The program includes a public reading of the complete

, which has been read at the site each July 4 for more than 100 years. Various other sites related to the Middlebrook encampment are accessible to the public. These include Washington Rock State Park, an observation site on top of the Watchung mountain ridge, in Green Brook,

Washington Valley Park Washington Valley Park is a public park between the first and second Watchung mountain ridge in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater Township, New Jersey that is administered by the Somerset County Park Commission. It contains the Washingt ...

in Bridgewater (nearby, but separate from, the Washington Camp Ground). A sign commemorating the encampment also stands in a now-developed area, at the corner of Chimney Rock and Gilbride Roads in Bridgewater. All five colonial homes that served as headquarters to the Generals during the cantonment were preserved at various times by local organizations beginning in 1898 with the Wallace House and all are now National Register Sites open to the public. See their respective websites for further information. A driving tour of the Middlebrook Cantonment area is available from th
Heritage Trail Association
and a "Five Generals Tour" is organized by Heritage Trail with the cooperating sites of the Middlebrook Cantonment.

References

External links