New Jersey's First Provincial Congress was elected and met in secret at New Brunswick without the Governor William Franklin's knowledge. (July) New Jersey sent delegates to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The meeting lasted over a month and a half until all 12 colonies were in agreement that something needed to be done. The Congress agreed that Parliament has the right to regulate trade, but not the right to pass laws regarding the colonies without consent. A formal petition was sent to George III stating the colony's grievances. In conjunction with the petition the Congress formed the Continental Association to boycott British goods. (September 5, 1774) The Tea Party at Greenwich in Cumberland County after the British, fearing a similar reprisal to the Boston Tea party in Philadelphia, removed tea from the HMS Greyhound and placed it in a warehouse in Greenwich. Several local patriots dressed in Native American costumes burned the warehouse as an act of defiance. (December 12, 1774) New Jersey sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. (May 10). New Jersey Legislature (Royal Assembly) met for the last time. Governor William Franklin urged representatives to reject independence and increase their support for the King. None of the representatives openly rejected the Franklin's request. Toward the conclusion of the meeting a secret ballot was cast. Governor Franklin had few followers. (December) Governor William Franklin removed from office by Second Provincial Congress. He was seized and sent to Connecticut. Capture of the Blue Mountain Valley, acting upon direction of the Committee of Safety of Elizabethtown, 60 patriots disguised as fishermen in 4 boats came alongside the British supply ship HMS Blue Mountain Valley and captured it. (January 22, 1776) New Jersey sent five delegates (Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, and Abraham Clark) to the Second Continental Congress. New Jersey adopted its first State Constitution by which women, aliens, Native Americans, and free blacks worth fifty pounds had the right to vote. Provincial Congress changed its name to the "Convention of the State of New Jersey" (July 18, 1776). William Livingston appointed the first state governor and inaugurated in Nassau Hall, Princeton. (August 31, 1776) Battle of Long Island, signifying British foothold in the Middle Colonies. (August 1776) English Neighborhood Americans foiled a British attempt to take Fort Lee from the land; inflicted 150 casualties and suffered 30-40 killed and wounded. (October 19, 1776) General George Washington evacuated Fort Lee to safety across the Hackensack River. After capturing Fort Washington on the 16th, Lord Cornwallis crossed the Hudson River and scaled the Palisades to invest Fort Lee. General Nathaniel Greene evacuated the fort with 8 killed and about 100 captured. The capture of the fort devastated the young Continental Army's morale and its stores. (November 20, 1776) Withdrawal of Washington's army across New Jersey (November 21 to December 8, 1776) Thomas Paine published The Crisis, written in Trenton. The inspiring paper, "The American Crisis," which includes Thomas Paine's ringing quote, "These are the times that try men's souls..." describes the conditions of the retreat from Fort Lee to New Bridge (River Edge). Thomas Paine himself describes this site as "our first object"... At the Battle of Mount Holly, the British 42nd Regiment and Ewald's Hessians advanced on Mount Holly and were met by 1000 colonials under the direction of Colonel Griffin at Meeting House north of town. Three days of minor clashing and limited artillery duels had positioned the British Troops out of support for Trenton. If the British were able to quickly support Trenton on the morning of the 26th they would have held the superior numbers. Casualties were light on both sides. (December 23, 1776) At the First Battle of Trenton, Washington crossed the Delaware and surprised the Hessians. Washington's surprise attack captured a total of 919 prisoners, 106 were killed or wounded; six pieces of brass artillery and nearly 1000 standard arms and stores captured. (December 26, 1776) The Second Battle of Trenton is also referred as the Battle of Assunpink Creek. The British arrived at Trenton under the command of Lord Cornwallis, to discover that Washington had moved the main army to Trenton and deployed along Assunpink Creek, heavily supported by artillery. Washington with 5,200 men repelled several attempts to capture the bridge. Artillery dueled until after dark. The decision was made to evade Cornwallis' trap and march over the back woods to Princeton. During the night Washington removed the main body of the Continental Army, leaving a skeleton crew to create the illusion that the army was still entrenched. (January 2, 1777) At the Battle of Princeton, Washington's intent was to outflank the British and capture their stores in Princeton and New Brunswick. Unfortunately, Washington's men stumbled upon the tail end of the Advancing British Army in the countryside outside of Princeton. The Americans held superior numbers and won the battle, but lost the opportunity to capture the valuable British winter stores and British currency in New Brunswick. (January 3, 1777) At Springfield, General John Sullivan and 4000 men attacked the British 42nd regiment under Sir William Erskine. (February 1, 1777) Washington encamped at Morristown (January to May 1777); At Piscataway, the British 42nd, 71st, and 33rd regiments raided Bonhamtown and Piscataway. The British described American casualties as 67 killed and 130 wounded; their losses were placed at 2 killed, 16 wounded, and 12 captured. (May 17, 1777) At New Brunswick, General Nathaniel Greene with 4 brigades and a battalion of riflemen attacked a large British force under General Howe as the British evacuate the city. (June 22, 1777) At the Battle of the Short Hills on the 26th, at four in the morning, Lord Cornwallis marched from Amboy with upwards to 5,000 troops. He met Lord Sterling's Brigade of about 1,400 men and lost 3 pieces of cannon, 70 prisoners, and about 100 men killed and wounded. (June 26, 1777) At Province and Carpenter's Islands, American galleys and floating batteries anchored between Little Mud and Fort Island bombarded newly erected British batteries on Province Island, (night of 10/8-9). Hazelwood's galleys bombarded Carpenter's Island on 11th and 12th in support of an American amphibious assault on the 12th. The Americans landed on Carpenters Island and seized British batteries but were driven out by the Hessian Lieb regiment. Most British prisoners captured in the initial attack were recovered. (October 8, 1777) At the Battle of Red Bank, Colonel Christopher Greene's Rhode Island troops defended Fort Mercer against an attack by Colonel Von Donop and 2,000 Hessians. The Hessians were repulsed with heavy losses. During the battle, naval engagements took place off Mud Island between twelve American galleys and British ships of the line, sloops, and tenders. HMS Augusta was destroyed by fire and HMS Merlin was scuttled and burned. (October 22, 1777) The demise of Fort Mercer came on November 18 when Lord Cornwallis landed with two thousand men south of the fort in Billingsport. He was shortly joined by an additional three thousand fresh troops from New York. The battered troops in the fort could not withstand such a force. On November 20, Generals Greene and Varnum removed their men and attempted to destroy the fort. Unfortunately for the Americans, the British recovered many of the stores and arms. The British now controlled the crucial supply route to the sea. (November 20, 1777) British Evacuate Philadelphia with 11,000 troops, a thousand loyalists, and a baggage train 12 miles long and cross into New Jersey at Coopers Ferry in Camden. The British final destination is New York City, but the safest and the most navigable course had not been determined. (June 18, 1778) Battle of Monmouth. In spring 1778, Sir Henry Clinton came to the conclusion that the positions of the British Army and Navy in Philadelphia were precarious. The French Navy was threatening to enfold the British in the Delaware Bay and disrupt sea supply lines. Clinton believing that a sea evacuation would not be prudent gave the orders to march to New York. For the Continental Army the decision for the British to cross New Jersey provided an opportunity to inflict injury. The location of the contact between the British and the American Army is referred to as Monmouth Battlefield. On the morning of June 28, 1778, the vanguard of the Continental Army under General Lee attacked the rear of the British column. Clinton, aware that an attack may take place positioned his most seasoned troops at the rear of the column. The fighting that ensued resulted in the "greatest sound and light show of the war". The newly retrained Continental Army stood "toe to toe" against the British in what became the largest land artillery battle of the war. Washington relieved Lee early in the battle resulting in Lee's later court martial. (June 28, 1778) At Old Tappan a British detachment under General Charles Grey massacred Continental Light Dragoons under Colonel George Baylor. (September 19, 1778) At Chestnut Neck on October 6th, 1778, a number of armed vessels and galleys under the command of Captain Collins of the British Navy, with several hundred troops under Captain Ferguson of the Seventieth Regiment (British), raided the privateer port of Chestnut Neck on the Mullica River. (October 6, 1778) Washington established his winter headquarters at the Wallace House in Somerville. At Middlebrook Encampment, following the battle of Monmouth, Washington took the American Army north to the Highlands to guard the Hudson River against the British Army, which had moved back into New York City. He decided to place the main portion of the army in New Jersey, near the village of Middlebrook in Somerset County, where they could protect New Jersey, threaten New York and Staten Island, and quickly re-enforce the Highlands. The New Jersey Brigade was stationed near Elizabethtown to guard the coast. Another brigade was stationed at Danbury, Connecticut where they could quickly defend the Highlands, or move south towards the north end of Manhattan island. Major Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee with a force of 400 led a surprise raid on the garrison at Paulus Hook, held by the British since 1776. The raid captured 158 prisoners and served as a morale booster for Washington's army. Lee was a recipient one of eight Congressional Medals awarded during war. (August 19, 1779) The Continental Army encamped again for the winter at Jockey Hollow near Morristown. At the Battle of Connecticut Farms, General Knyphausen with a force of 5,000 landed at De Hart's Point near Elizabethtown and marched toward Morristown on June 7, meeting resistance from regulars and militia under Colonel Elias Dayton and General Lafayette at Connecticut Farms, 2 1/2 miles southeast of Springfield. Americans losses were 15 killed and 40 wounded. Knyphausen burned the settlement and withdrew the night of June 8-9 to De Hart's Point to entrench. (June 7, 1780) At the Battle of Springfield, General Greene foils British General Knyphausen's advance to Morristown during a time period of potential mutinies in the Continental Army. The action raised the morale of the idled troops. In anger, the British burned portions of the towns of Elizabethtown and Newark upon their withdrawal. (June 23, 1780) * At the Battle of Elizabeth, a reinforced Knyphausen advanced on Springfield from the enclave at De Hart's Point. General Greene delayed the advance of the main British column and withdrew to high ground behind Springfield. Knyphausen burned the town, withdrew to the point, and crossed to Staten Island on a pontoon bridge. Total casualties both sides were about 100. British Chausseurs alone lost 24 killed and wounded. (June 23, 1780) The Continental Army left New Jersey Washington established his headquarters at Rockingham, near Princeton (August 23-November 10). Here Washington wrote his "Farewell Address to the Army." The Continental Congress met at Nassau Hall, Princeton, temporarily making it the nation's capital (June to November) New Jersey sent delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. William Paterson proposed his New Jersey Plan at the Convention. New Jersey was the third state to ratify the Federal Constitution.