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21) Walnford
22) Burlington City
23) Indian King Tavern State Historic Site
24) Greenfield Hall
25) Red Bank Battlefield Park (NHL)
26) Pomona Hall
27) Alexander Grant House
28) Hancock House State Historic Site
29) Greenwich Historic District |
Delaware River
In December 1776, the British rapidly occupied most of northeastern
New Jersey. Washington had lost two major forts on the lower
Hudson River and had retreated across New Jersey into Pennsylvania.
Hessian soldiers advanced as far as Bordentown, Columbus and
Mount Holly. By deploying this extraordinary show of force, the
British expected to crush the revolt. Instead, Washington won stunning
victories at Trenton and Princeton, convincing the British to
withdraw to bases on the Raritan River.
War returned to the Delaware Valley in August 1777. Advancing
from Chesapeake Bay, the British defeated Washington's forces at
Brandywine on September 11, occupied Philadelphia and laid siege
to forts controlling the Delaware River approach to that city. In the
months that followed, armies and foraging parties crisscrossed southwestern
New Jersey.
When the French allied themselves with the United States in 1778,
they dispatched their Mediterranean fleet to blockade the Delaware
River. Fearing they would starve in Philadelphia, the British evacuated
the city on June 18. Some 20,000 British, Hessian and Loyalist
soldiers, together with fleeing civilians, began a difficult crossing of
New Jersey to reach their stronghold at New York.
Bordentown, a small town of quiet, tree-lined streets was
home to American patriots Francis Hopkinson and "omas
Paine. Hessian troops briefly occupied the town in December
1776, and in 1778 the British cannonaded it. A self-guided
walking tour of notable homes is available at City Hall, and in
stores throughout the historic district.
During the Revolution, the mill village of Allentown was a center for collecting supplies for the Continental
Army. On June 24, 1778, the British Army, en route to New
York, occupied the town. A 19th century gristmill built on the
site of earlier mills still stands beside a millpond in the village.
The historic town of Mount Holly is the seat of
Burlington County. Strategically located on the Rancocas
Creek, it was occupied by Continental, British and Hessian
troops. On December 23, 1776, the Battle of Iron Works Hill
was fought between a brigade of Hessians and a detachment of
Continentals and militia. By luring the Hessians from their base
in Bordentown, the Patriots prevented them from supporting
the Trenton garrison during Washington's attack on December
26. There was more skirmishing in June 1778, when the British
occupied the town on their march from Philadelphia to New
York. The following year, the New Jersey Legislature declared
the town the state capital from November through December
1779, while Trenton was threatened with invasion.
Between October 1777, and June 1778, Continental and
British forces repeatedly occupied Haddonfield. On
June 18, 1778, both divisions of the British Army camped here
en route from Philadelphia to New York.
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