Breakfast with General Cornwallis
Saturday, April 9th, 2011, 8:00 am
At the Van Horne House, which is located at 941 East Main Street, Bridgewater across from Patriots Ballpark. Free parking is available behind Target's and at the ballpark.
The cost is $6 per person. Space is limited and reservations are required.
Call (732) 356-8856 for reservations, or sign up online: register.
For additional information, please feel free to contact us by email or phone: (732) 356-8856, or send email to:
info@heritagetrail.org
In the spring of 1777, following Washington's stunning success at Trenton, the focus of the war shifted to central New Jersey. During the winter months, the British retreated to New Brunswick with a force of 17,000 men. To sustain their garrison, they sent out raiding parties to obtain food and forage from surrounding farms. Frequent skirmishes with local militia and army units proved costly for the British. To retaliate, they decided to mount a major attack.
In the predawn darkness of April 13th, 1777, British General Cornwallis led a four-pronged attack on the American garrison at Bound Brook. Planned by Hessian Captain Johann Ewald, two columns of troops, with cannon, attacked from the southeast, on either side of the Raritan River. A third column, which arrived late, attacked from the east along the Watchung Ridge to cut off any escape to the north. The fourth column attacked from the west, after fording the Millstone and Raritan Rivers to avoid detection by American outposts. General Benjamin Lincoln, whose headquarters was at the Van Horne house, barely escaped capture by fleeing into the hills. After the battle, General Cornwallis was served breakfast at the Van Horne House by Philip Van Horne who was know far and wide as a gracious host.
Start your commemoration of the Battle of Bound Brook at the Van Horne House and join General Cornwallis for breakfast. Philip Van Horne will be on hand to greet you and show you around his house. Copies of Captain Ewald's original map and description of the battle will be available for inspection. General Cornwallis will give a briefing on the state of the war.
Breakfast will be served starting at 8:00 and General Cornwallis's briefing will be at 9:00. Programs and parking instructions will be available for the Battle of Bound Brook reenactment. The opening ceremony will commence at the Old Presbyterian Burying Ground in Bound Brook at 10:30 am.
The Van Horne House is located at 941 East Main Street, Bridgewater across from Patriots Ballpark. Free parking is available behind Target's and at the ballpark.
The cost is $6 per person. Space is limited and reservations are required.
Call (732) 356-8856 for reservations, or sign up online: register.
For additional information, please feel free to contact us by email or phone: (732) 356-8856, or send email to:
info@heritagetrail.org
2. Annual Reenactment - Battle of Bound Brook.
Saturday, April 9th
Battle of Bound Brook
Join us for an exciting weekend of history and re-live the Battle of Bound Brook. The two-day program commemorates the events of 1777 when the American army was based in Bound Brook, NJ. This is an opportunity for the entire family to learn about this important period in New Jersey and American history.
Saturday activities include:
* The reenactment of the battle at its original location featuring American and British units portraying the soldiers of the American Revolution.
* Special Programs/Exhibits at the Bound Brook Memorial Library and Old Presbyterian Graveyard, in Bound Brook. (Saturday)
* An 18th century military encampment on the grounds of the Abraham Staats House, 17 von Steuben Lane, South Bound Brook, 08880.
* Historic House Tours of the Abraham Staats House that served as the headquarters for George Washington's 'Drillmaster,' Baron von Steuben.
Saturday Schedule
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Soldiers leave Abraham Staats House to march down Main Street, South Bound Brook and across Queens Bridge and past the Old Stone Arch Bridge, to the Old Presbyterian Graveyard and Memorial Library, Bound Brook.
10:30 AM - 10:30 AM Ceremony at the Old Presbyterian Graveyard, southwest corner of East Street and East High Street, Bound Brook, NJ 08805, adjacent to Bound Brook Memorial Library.
11:00 AM-NOON Soldiers reenact the Battle of Bound Brook in vicinity of the Old Stone Arch Bridge and the Queens Bridge, in Bound Brook. Following the ceremony at the Memorial Library, American and British soldiers will assemble and march towards the Queens Bridge, battling through the streets with musket and cannons!
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Continuous Guided Tours of the Old Presbyterian Graveyard. Assemble at the Bicentennial Monument to learn about Revolutionary War soldiers buried here, including Dr. William McKissack, an army captain and a founder of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons for the State of New Jersey.
1:15 PM - 1:30 PM Soldiers assemble and begin march back to South Bound Brook over Queens Bridge.
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM American and British troops reenact Street Battle in South Bound Brook, starting at Elm & Main St., SBB (south end of Queen's Bridge) and battling along Main Street to Maple Ave.
2:30 PM - 5:00 PM All troops clear Main St and return to the Soldiers Encampment at the Abraham Staats House, South Bound Brook.
3. Annual Reenactment - Battle of Bound Brook.
Sunday April 10
Military Encampment
Join us at Abraham Staats House and lean about life in an Revolutionary War military encampment, and re-live the events of 1777 when the American army was based in Bound Brook, NJ. This is an opportunity for the entire family to learn about this important period in New Jersey and American history.
The soldiers and camp followers will be living life in camp much as it would have been in 1777. Visitors may tour the camp, observe camp artifacts and equipment, and see how the troops of the American Revolution, British Crown and American forces, lived and view Camp Food Preparation, Military Training and Drills, Artillery and Small Arms Practice. Members of the reenactor’s units involved in the encampment are dedicated to recreating the history of the American colonial 18th century period through demonstrations, exhibits, lectures, encampments, and interpretations. Equipment used and clothing worn by members is authentic and documented. The men, women, and children who participate volunteer their time to recreate the lives of everyday people struggling for independence during the American Revolution. Members are encouraged to learn 18th century skills and strive for authenticity in their interpretations. Sunday Schedule 7:30 AM-Noon Buffet Breakfast. Enjoy breakfast with the soldiers and colonial camp followers at the famous 'All-You-Can-Eat Sunday Buffet Breakfast' at the South Bound Brook Firehouse, Edgewood Terrace, South Bound Brook. Adults: $9, Seniors: $8; under age ten: $6, under age 5: free. 10:00 AM- 4:00 PM Soldier's Encampment at the Abraham Staats House: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM H. Kels Swan will discuss his special exhibit on Baron von Steuben and his famous instruction manual: Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States. (Fee: $8 - adults, $4 - 18 years and under) 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM Soldiers Drills and Battle Demonstration on the grounds. Watch the American and British soldiers as they perform military maneuvers of the American Revolution.
Visit the living history American Revolutionary Soldiers Encampment at the Abraham Staats House c. 1740, (17 von Steuben Lane, South Bound Brook). Come see life as it existed for the soldiers, camp followers and others who lived the American past. Military Drills, Demonstrations, Contests, Camp Life, Living history demonstrations, soldiers drilling and practicing military tactics, sutlers (merchants) selling colonial goods, sewing, basket weaving and cooking, period music and refreshments at the camp. The soldiers will be drilling during the afternoon, just as they did 200 years ago - (No fee for activities on outside grounds of the Abraham Staats House.) Visit the Colonial Surgeon-learn about 18th century medical practices, treatments and instruments used during the period (portrayed by Gary DePaolo).
Abraham Staats House
One of the finest surviving buildings from the 18th century Dutch settlement of the Raritan Valley, this original two-room house was built c. 1740 by the Staats, a Dutch family who inhabited the home for nearly two centuries and expanded the structure several times, including a two-story late-Federal/Greek Revival wing.
Abraham Staats owned the home during the second Middlebrook Encampment (1778-79), when it served as a headquarters for Baron von Steuben, Inspector General under George Washington. During his stay, von Steuben drilled the American soldiers, held a review of select troops in honor of Washington and hosted a reception for sixty top officers and guests in the Staats' orchard.
The Staats' descendants sold the property in 1935, passing to a series of other owners. In 1999, the house was purchased by the Borough of So. Bound Brook, which maintains the property with support from The Friends of Abraham Staats House.
Browse Events at this LocationEmail : staatshouseSBB@aol.com
Phone: 732-469-3198
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