Travels through History
Earlier this month, I traveled to Kennebunkport, Maine, where I gave a presentation on intelligence activities during the American War for Independence to the Maine Chapter of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. On the return trip, I visited the Continental Army’s last cantonment site and General Washington’s Headquarters, located in the central Hudson Valley. These understated and very picturesque locales were the focal point of some exciting developments as the eight-year struggle for freedom was in its final stages.
Army at Dusk
Although British General Charles Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in October 1781 provided the final significant engagement in the eight-year struggle, small-scale fighting continued as both sides jockeyed for advantages in the peace negotiations. General George Washington sent part of his army south to support Major General Nathanael Greene’s campaign to wrest the Carolinas from the British, who clung stubbornly to their coastal garrisons. At the same time, Loyalist bands continued resistance wherever they could.
The remainder of Washington’s Army, some 7,500 men, marched back to New York, where Washington hoped to join with the French under General comte de Rochambeau and launch his long-awaited assault on New York City. But like the British, the French now saw their primary interest was vying for the islands of the West Indies and soon sailed south. Washington encamped his Army in the mid-Hudson Valley region, close enough to threaten the British garrison, which held New York City, Long Island, and parts of Westchester.
With no French Army or Navy to support him, his main job now was to maintain an army as a viable threat to the city — making it just another chit in the nuanced battle of diplomats taking place in Paris. This was easier said than done. The only thing more difficult to command than an army at dawn is an army at dusk. But if negotiations broke down, Washington knew a credible army would be critical to the nation’s survival.
Newburg Headquarters
The central Hudson Valley provided a beautiful setting for the Army at dusk. The mighty Hudson (then called The North) River was flanked by quickly rising slopes filled with lush forest, verdant farm fields, and neat orchards. Once the domain of native tribes and the early Dutch settlers, the area had Anglicised but retained much of its original Dutch flavor.
Washington’s headquarters was in the town of Newburgh, about four miles north of the main Army’s encampment. From April 1782 to August 1783, he established Continental Army headquarters and his residence in a brown fieldstone mansion belonging to the Hasbrouck family. He stayed at the Hasbrouck House longer than in any of his numerous homes throughout the eight-year war. Washington was accompanied by his staff, his personal Life Guard, servants, and, at times, Martha Washington.
He would manage the final crises of his war in this large home overlooking the Hudson from its western bluffs.
New Windsor Cantonment
A few miles south, the remaining brigades of the Continental Army were gathered in huts of logs cut from the nearby Catskill Mountains. He had marched them there in October, and by December, the Army’s engineers and carpenters, supported by the backs of the infantrymen, built nearly 600 huts, forming a military community — a cantonment. This cantonment of 7,500 soldiers plus 500 women and children was the most densely populated “town” in the colonies and the second largest “city” in New York State.
Though not as harsh as the Valley Forge or Morristown cantonment, the winter quarters were still difficult. Officers and men spent much of their time just trying to keep enough wood on the camp and stove fires, and as was the case throughout the war, the quartermasters struggled to find enough food, blankets, clothes, and other supplies. Some senior officers squabbled over finding appropriate quarters.
In addition to New Windsor, Washington kept forces, primarily his artillery and the Corps of Invalids, on duty further down the Hudson at West Point. A “duty regiment” was also rotated to positions in lower Westchester, where they observed the British defenses at Kingsbridge (today’s Bronx). The scarcity of forage for horses also forced him to disperse most of his cavalry.
The Man Who Would Not Be King
By 1782, years of poor treatment of the Army by the Continental Congress and, more pointedly, the states had led to widespread disgruntlement. One of Washington’s commanders, Colonel Lewis Nicola, decided that something must be done. Nicola, a Dublin-born French Hugeunot, commanded the Corps of Invalids, wounded soldiers who were limited in capability but maintained for guard, garrison, and sentry duties.
In a May 1782 letter to the commander-in-chief, Nicola proposed a monarchy like Britain’s with the understanding Washington would be king. He cited the grievances of the Army and its officers and suggested he represented a wide-held belief in the solution. The reaction from Washington was swift and harsh. He soundly rebuked Nicola in writing for the proposal and the thought that Washington would forsake a republic to be a king.
Spring of Discontent
At New Windsor, General George Washington ended a conspiracy among his officers. The issue was, once again, pay. The officers were concerned that the expected ½ pay pensions long promised by the Confederation Congress would not be forthcoming. Many knew that once the treaty with Britain was signed, there would be no impetus for the government to make due on its promises.
In fact, the Articles Congress had no authority to appropriate funds for this — that was the role of the states. Alexander Hamilton, now in Congress, and his allies were trying to rectify the situation. Still, many officers had lost patience, and a movement was underway to plan a move on Congress itself — the so-called Newburg Conspiracy.
Informed of this, Washington put together a stirring pean to duty and country over interest and arranged to arrive at a meeting of the officers scheduled at Temple Hill, a long wooden structure used as a meeting hall, a community center for the cantonment.
Temple Hill Gathering
On 15 March 1783, the officers gathered, and Major General Horatio Gates, now camp commandant, began the session. Some three hundred officers had planned on attending, too many for the building, so they sent representatives who sat in an angry mood. However, Washington entered the room unexpectedly and said he wished to address the meeting. Gates was forced to yield the chair to the commander-in-chief.
As he addressed them, Washington read the body language. He was not getting through. Too many promises had been made and broken. He decided to read a letter he had received from a Congressman sympathetic to the officers that explained what was being done. But as Washington fumbled to put on his reading glasses, he paused and apologized, "Gentleman, you must pardon me, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in service to my country."
A hush swept the room, and grown men, seasoned warriors all, began sobbing. The bigger-than-life general was a war god to them, a man who swept across battlefields on his charger and set the example of patriotism, sacrifice, and bravery. The air went out of the room, and the rebellion and possible military dictatorship nipped in the bud.
New Governance
When not struggling to keep his Army intact or corresponding with Congress and thirteen obstinate state governments, Washington had time to think about the nation’s future. He produced correspondence to the state governors pointing toward principles of republican governance he would later put into practice.
New Award
He also managed to find time to think about the sacrifice and courage his troops showed over the many years of trial and combat. He ordered the issuing of what was called the “Badge of Military Merit.” Awarded to three sergeants for their valor in storming the British redoubt at Yorktown, it was the forerunner of what became the Purple Heart.
Evening Parade
At the New Windsor Cantonment, the cease-fire orders were issued by Washington, ending the eight-year War of Independence.
Head Quarters Newburgh 18 April 1783
The Commander in Chief orders the cessation of Hostilities, between the United States of America, and the King of Great Britain, to be publickly proclaimed, to morrow at the Newbuilding and that the proclamation, which will be communicated therewith, be read tomorrow evening at the Head of every Regiment and Corps of the Army—After which the Chaplains with the several Brigades will render thanks to the Almighty God, for all his mercies, particularly, for his over-ruling the wra[th] of man, to his own glory, and causing the rage of War, to cease amongst the Nations.
With the official ceasing of hostilities, the cantonment became the site of the Continental Army’s “evening parade.” As regiment after regiment began to demobilize while maintaining sufficient force to ensure the British commander-in-chief, General Guy Carleton, would evacuate New York City at the appointed time. The dwindling forces eventually moved downriver to the vicinity of West Point and Verplank's Point. Communication with the British in New York City became critical as the officers who once managed war now had to manage a return to peace.
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