Last updated: November 27, 2022
Place
Stark's Brigade
NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
Jockey Hollow, NJ
Significance:
Historical Marker
According to Army regulations developed in consideration of the mistakes of the Valley Forge encampment in 1777, the soldiers' huts should occupy sloping hillsides in wooded areas at some distance from other campsites. In theory, this allowed proper drainage during periods of rain and thawing snow, as well as ample material with which to forage and gather for hut construction. In practice, this led Quartermaster Nathaniel Greene and his Quartermaster's corps to lay out sites for huts in places such as this, a hillside somewhat removed from the core of the camp sites overall. Rather than being a dim-viewed oversight, the site has its advantages, and was carefully selected and inspected by the corps before soldiers arrived starting in November of 1779.
This site was occupied by Brigadier General John Stark's unit, consisting of four regiments from New England colonies: two Connecticut regiments and one each from Rhode Island and Massachussetts. Many of the brigades and regiments at Jockey Hollow were simply named after their place of recruitment, with Stark's brigade being one of the exceptions due to its "blended" nature. Together, the men worked to clear the hillside of trees, and use the fallen timber to build row after row of huts according to regulation, in which they would weather the fiercest winter in American history.
After the war, without soldiers to occupy and repair them, and considering the inherently temporary nature of their construction, the huts mouldered and fell into disrepair, with local farmers scavenging and reclaiming what useful resources remained from them. When it came time to memorialize the Army's presence here at the end of the 19th century, nothing remained but the stones used to build the fireplaces and hearths in the huts, and even they had been displaced from their original sites. Some stones may have been used to build the monument itself near the turn of the 20th century, but it's difficult to say one way or another. In any event, building monuments with archaeologically significant materials is not considered good practice in the field today.
The site also offers a good view of the valley below, including portions of the Great Swamp and the Watchung Mountains to the south and east of this point.
This site was occupied by Brigadier General John Stark's unit, consisting of four regiments from New England colonies: two Connecticut regiments and one each from Rhode Island and Massachussetts. Many of the brigades and regiments at Jockey Hollow were simply named after their place of recruitment, with Stark's brigade being one of the exceptions due to its "blended" nature. Together, the men worked to clear the hillside of trees, and use the fallen timber to build row after row of huts according to regulation, in which they would weather the fiercest winter in American history.
After the war, without soldiers to occupy and repair them, and considering the inherently temporary nature of their construction, the huts mouldered and fell into disrepair, with local farmers scavenging and reclaiming what useful resources remained from them. When it came time to memorialize the Army's presence here at the end of the 19th century, nothing remained but the stones used to build the fireplaces and hearths in the huts, and even they had been displaced from their original sites. Some stones may have been used to build the monument itself near the turn of the 20th century, but it's difficult to say one way or another. In any event, building monuments with archaeologically significant materials is not considered good practice in the field today.
The site also offers a good view of the valley below, including portions of the Great Swamp and the Watchung Mountains to the south and east of this point.