Morristown
The Darkest Winter of the Revolutionary War and the Plot to Kidnap George Washington
William Hazelgrove
Lyons Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2021, 272 pages
Book Review published on: August 26, 2022
In Morristown: The Darkest Winter of the Revolutionary War and the Plot to Kidnap George Washington, William Hazelgrove tells the little-known story of how soldiers of George Washington’s army suffered through one of the most brutal winters ever recorded and how the American Revolution was almost lost.
Washington led a ragtag army to winter in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1779–1780. The hills surrounding the camp offered Washington a perfect vantage point from which to keep an eye on the British army, which was headquartered across the Hudson River in New York City. Morristown’s position also allowed Washington to protect the roads leading from the British strongholds in New Jersey to New England and the roads leading to Philadelphia. Washington established his headquarters in the poorly heated mansion of widow Theodosia Ford. His army built thousands of log homes for themselves, some miles from the mansion. Despite these favorable conditions, the severe winter of 1779–1780 negated them all.
