Morris County During the Revolution
Willard W. Cutler (1900)

Few anecdotes summarize the impact of Washington’s decision to headquarter his army in Morristown, then a town of 250 to 350 inhabitants. Better than Willard Cutler’s observation that “Mrs. Anna Kitchell was not devoid of patriotism, and willingly quartered 12 of the American Army, but finally entered a protest when the number was increased to 40." Cutler also discusses how Morris County raised its militia units, as well as troops for the Continental Army.

Nearly one hundred and twenty-five years have passed since the war for American Independence began, and this country has seen many wonderful changes since then, but the boundaries of the County of Morris still remain the same; however, there have been many alterations in its subdivisions, for then the county had but five Townships, viz: Morris, Hanover, Mendham, Pequannoc and Roxbury.

There were no large towns within its borders. Morristown, Dover, Rockaway, Mendham, Hanover, Madison--known as Bottle Hill--Chester--known as Black River -- and Parsippany were but small villages, Morristown, the largest, having a population of between 250 and 350; but farms were cultivated in almost every section, mines were in operation, and forges and furnaces gave employment to many. It is estimated that the total population of this county was then about 10,000.

The closing of the port of Boston stirred the patriots of this and other counties of New Jersey from lethargy, and showed them the necessity of concentrated action in order to preserve the cause of American freedom.

A meeting of the citizens and freeholders of this county was held at the Court House, in Morristown, on June 27, 1774, and was presided over by Col. Jacob Ford. Resolutions were adopted, protesting against the late act of Parliament imposing tax for the purpose of raising a revenue, as oppressive and arbitrary; favoring an agreement between the colonies not to purchase or use any article imported from Great Britain or the East Indies, under such restrictions as should be agreed upon by a General Congress; and appointing a committee, to act with committees from other counties of this State, to elect and appoint delegates to a General Congress. On the 9th day of January 1775, another meeting was held at Morristown and a series of resolutions adopted, among other things calling upon the inhabitants of each township to meet on the 25th of the same month and elect Committees of Observation.

Such committees were elected in the various townships, and through their efforts signatures of citizens and property owners were obtained, agreeing to support the Provincial and Continental Congress.

On the 1st of May of the same year, another meeting of the inhabitants of the county was held at Morristown and elected delegates to represent the county in the Provincial Congress, and empowered these delegates to raise men and money for the common defense, subject to the control and directions of the Provincial and Continental Congress.

At a meeting of the delegates held at the house of Captain Peter Dickerson in Morristown, on May 2, 1775, it was decided to raise 300 volunteers, to be divided into five companies, each company to have a Captain, the Captains to discipline their men at the rate of one day each week; and it was further decided that the privates should be paid three shillings a day and found with provisions, ammunition and arms; it was also decided that 500 pounds of powder and a ton of lead be purchased by Wiliam DeHart for the use of these companies. It was further recommended that all the inhabitants of the county provide themselves with arms and ammunition to defend the county in case of an invasion.

This was in anticipation of the action of the Provincial Congress, which did not call for troops until the 3rd of June of that year. On the 9th of October, 1775, the Continental Congress called upon New Jersey to furnish two battalions of eight companies each, a company to consist of 68 men, and on the 26th of the same month, the Provincial Congress issued warrants to raise such troops; three companies at least were from Morris County, commanded respectively by Captain Joseph Morris, Captain Silas Howell, Captain Joseph Meeker. The following year, another company was formed with Peter Dickerson as Captain, and on the 12th of June 1777, still another company from Morris County was mustered into service with Noadiah Wade as Captain.

Besides the companies formed for the regular army, six companies of minutemen were organized; each company consisted of 64 men, and each man was required to furnish himself with a good musket or fire-lock and bayonet, sword or tomahawk, a steel ramrod, a priming-iron, a box containing 23 rounds of cartridges, 12 flints, and a knapsack, and each man was to keep in his house one pound of powder and three pounds of bullets.

One of these companies came from the vicinity of each of the following places, viz: Mendham, Hanover, Madison, Morristown, Rockaway and Roxbury, but, as many of the minutemen joined the Continental Army, these companies were afterwards disbanded as a separate organization and incorporated in the militia. This county's militia, as well as the companies in the Continental Army, did noble service in the cause of freedom, and many of the officers and privates distinguished themselves for bravery on many a field of battle.

Morris County was of great importance to the American Army, for its forges and furnaces were furnishing cannon ball and other implements of iron, while a ton of powder a month was being made at Col. Jacob Ford's powder mill on the Whippany River. To protect this powder mill and the forges and furnaces may have been one of the reasons that induced Washington to establish his headquarters within this county for two winters.

In the month of December 1776, a portion of the American Army, variously estimated at from one to three thousand men, encamped in Loantaka Valley, the main camp being located on the premises which were afterwards owned by Mr. A. M. Treadwell, and the following month, shortly after the battle of Princeton, Washington with the remnant of his army came to Morristown and established his headquarters in the old Arnold Tavern, which stood on the Green where now stands the brick building owned by Mr. P.H. Hoffman. The historical structure itself was afterwards removed to Mt. Kemble Avenue and now forms part of the All Souls' Hospital building. Soldiers were billeted in nearly every house, and many of the citizens willingly gave up the best they had for the cause of freedom.

Aaron Kitchell, of Hanover, surrendered the larger of his two houses for the use of the soldiers, on condition that he should have the other house to himself, and would only be required to care for three sick English prisoners. Mrs. Anna Kitchell was not devoid of patriotism, and willingly quartered 12 of the American Army, but finally entered a protest when the number was increased to 40. Soon after the Army had established itself for the winter, smallpox broke out, and the dread disease spared neither soldier or citizen, young or old, men or women.

There were few public buildings in Morristown. The old First Church occupied the spot near where the present beautiful stone edifice now stands. The Baptist Church was on a part of the ground now covered by the McAlpin Block, while the Court House, a wooden building with shingle sides, stood on the Green a little to the South of the present United States Hotel.

During that winter of terrible suffering, both the Presbyterian and the Baptist Churches were used as hospitals, and every morning the dead were removed, only to make room for new cases. The Rev. Timothy Johnes, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, records the fact that during that winter he officiated at more than 200 funerals.

The Presbyterian Church was used not only during the winter, but for the greater part of that year as a hospital, for on the 16h day of September 1777, the trustees of that church appointed a committee to wait on the doctors at the hospital in Morristown, and apply for the resignation of the meeting house, and if obtained then to apply to the commanding officers at this point, to remove the troops thence, and at their discretion to proceed to clean and refit the house for worship.

While the Army was thus suffering from the ravages of disease, active precautions were taken to guard against invasion or any secret attack. A cannon termed "the old sow" was placed on one of the hills near Short Hills, overlooking the country towards New York, and was to be fired in case any signs were observed of an approaching enemy, while a beacon fire was to be lighted at that point to be answered by like fires on the mountains near Denville, and on Green Pond mountain, to give notice to the militia of the approach of the enemy. A constant watch night and day was kept at Short Hills, and a strong guard was placed at the Chatham bridge, and so well were these precautions carried out that the English Army never set foot on the soil of this county.

On one occasion during that winter of 1780, an expedition was sent out from New York to capture Washington, led by an American, whose name history does not record, and actually got as far as Bottle Hill, now Madison, but the crust on the snow cut the horses' feet to such an extent that they were obliged to return without accomplishing their mission.

While the enemy never entered the county, yet the inhabitants were not free from molestation, for bands of Tories from various parts of this and the adjoining counties made frequent raids and helped themselves to whatever they could carry off.

At one time 35 of such marauders were confined within the Morristown Jail; two were executed, the others were branded in the hand and afterwards released. During the Revolution, the furnaces at Mount Hope and Hibernia were in active operation, and so important were they to the American cause that on October 7, 1777, an act was passed by the Legislature exempting 50 men at Mount Hope and 25 men in Hibernia from military duty. The Mount Hope furnace was conducted by Col. John Jacob Faesch, and the Hibernia furnace was owned by Lord Stirling (William Alexander) but was under the charge of Joseph Hoff and upon his death in 1777 by his brother, Charles Hoff, Jr.

After the battle of Trenton, some 30 Hessian prisoners were sent to Mount Hope and were employed in and around the iron works cutting wood and doing other work, the Government furnishing the muskets used by the guards.

In the winter of 1779 and 1780. Washington again made his headquarters at Morristown, taking up his abode in the present building. The troops were encamped on the Wick farm, on the road leading from Hoyt's Corner now known as the McAlpin Corner, to Mendham. During that winter, Washington employed his troops or a portion of them in erecting the fort on the hill to the West of Morristown known as Fort Nonsense.

It was a very severe winter, the snow at times was five feet in depth, and the troops were suffering from lack of clothing, and at times it was impossible to even procure the necessary food. The Continental currency was much depreciated. The best hay was selling for 100 pounds per ton, and wheat for 50 dollars a bushel. In this distressing state of affairs, Washington called for assistance from the people of this State and the residents of this county immediately responded, and food was thus provided for the suffering soldiers, while the women knit stockings and furnished clothing necessary to protect them from the extreme inclemency of the weather, in many instances depriving themselves of the necessaries of life in order to alleviate the suffering of the troops.

When at last victory was won, in no part of the land was peace hailed with greater joy than in this county, for its citizens had not only given their substance, but risked their lives for the cause of American Freedom. and could from their hearts join in the song, we have just sung to day: "My Country 'tis of Thee, Sweet land of Liberty, Of Thee I Sing."