Washington's Army at Hopewell - The New Continental Army of 1778

On June 23rd, 1778, the Continental Army entered the Hopewell Valley and camped on John Hart’s farm. In the following few days, Washington would make plans to attack the British as they marched through New Jersey, trying to get back to New York City. But what was life like for the soldiers of Washington’s army camped on John Hart's farm? How had recent campaigns forced the army to change? Who were these soldiers, and why was this army camped at Hopewell in the early Summer of 1778 different from the army that had marched defeated into Valley Forge in December 1777? On June 25th, Asher Lurie will explain the experiences of these soldiers, clothed and equipped as a soldier of the New Jersey line as they would have looked during the Monmouth Campaign.

This program is in memory of Cate Litvack, who spent decades promoting New Jersey's role in th…