Our Revolutionary Past

New Jersey is called the Crossroads of the Revolution at least in part because, as I recall, more revolutionary battles were fought here than in any other state.

Here's an excerpt from the book, Crossroads of the American Revolution, that serves to prove the point:

Located between the British base at New York and the rebel capital at Philadelphia, New Jersey was the most war-ravaged of the 13 original states. More than 600 skirmishes and battles were fought on its soil and more than 150 naval actions on its waters.

Then, as now, New Jersey straddled roads connecting north and south. In 1775 and 1776, state regiments marched north. During November and December 1776, the remnants of the main Continental Army fled south across New Jersey, pursued by a British army. Just a month later, they retraced part of their route to defeat German and British detachments in Trenton and Princeton and march on to Morristown. This was the first of three winters that the Continental Army spent in New Jersey.

Its a truism to say that the past affects the present; I've made several observations here along those lines.

The book, and the quote above, is from a blog by Patrick Murray, My Historic NJ, that I found this morning.

I was impressed by his analysis about how identity and history go hand in hand. Here's a snippet of what Patrick writes in the sidebar of his blog, explaining the purpose of his mission to "visit every revolutionary site in New Jersey."

New Jersey is jam-packed with history. For example, more revolutionary war battles and skirmishes were fought in New Jersey than in any other state! The Continental Army spent more time camped in New Jersey (Morristown and Middlebrook) than in Valley Forge. If you live in New Jersey, there's a very good chance that George Washington slept somewhere within a few miles of your home.

Unfortunately, most of this history is overlooked. That old tavern down the street was an integral part of my childhood, not because it was "historic" but because it was a living, tangible connection to our heritage as New Jerseyans.

One of the major obstacles is that New Jersey does little to celebrate its history. In a state lacking a cohesive identity, most people don't know the history that's sitting, literally, in their backyards.