Annual meeting Scheduled
Large turnout for Trenton
Planning for BATTLES OF SOMERSET
An account of the skirmish in Amwell township, NJ.
Outwater's continues to grow! We had 12 men at arms at Trenton, an EXCELLENT turnout! Plus two civilian women! Tremendous for a late season, purely military event! Monmouth, which is going to a big event this year, should draw even more people. Quality AND quantity!
We had 4 new men that fielded at Trenton. Commander Glenn Valis gives his deepest thanks to those members who assisted them and kept them working safely and smoothly during the battles. They did a very good job, and were not noticeable as new!!! Good Job All !!!!
The unit is trying to organize an event to celebrate the various battles in Somerset County.scheduled for late summer or fall of 2011. We are trying to arrange a sponsor or sponsors to provide funding for police/rescue, firewood, insurance, hay, water, portajohns, etc. Suggestions are welcome!
In a previous issue there were photos of the militia monument in Amwell township, along Rt. 202, south of Flemington. Here is an account of the action there:
(passed October 25th, 1775) was " An Ordinance for regulating the
Militia of New Jersey," :" Whereas, The ordinances of the late
Provincial Congress for regulating the Militia of this Colony have been
found insufficient to answer the good purposes intended, and it
appearing to be essentially necessary that some further regulations be
adopted at this time of imminent danger,"
All able bodied men from 16 to 50 were to be
enrolled in the Militia, unless their religion forbid it.
Penalties were increased and were to be strictly enforced.
All eligible males:
" shall with all convenient speed furnish himself with a good musket or
firelock and bayonet, sword or tomahawk-, a steel ramrod, priming-wire
and brush fitted thereto, a cartridge-box to contain twenty-three
rounds of cartridges, twelve flints, and a knapsack, agreeable to the
direction of the Continental Congress, under the forfeiture of two
shillings for the want of a musket or firelock, and of one
shilling for the want of the other above-enumerated articles";
also " that every person directed to be enrolled as above shall, at his
place of abode, be provided with one pound of powder and three pounds
of bullets of proper size to his musket or firelock."
The unit fires at Bound
Brook
Woods Tactics Everyone is familiar with the Battle of Trenton. Washington crosses
the Delaware and surprises the Hessian soldiers that were stationed at
Trenton, providing a much needed victory for the Colonist’s
cause. I was fortunate enough to participate in the Battle of
Trenton as my first major re-enactment and am quite pleased with the
decision I made. I have always had a love of history and I’m sure
I have my family vacations to Colonial Williamsburg and growing up in
New Jersey to thank for that. Likewise, I have always wanted to become
more involved with history. Re-enacting provides the opportunity to
educate the public about an important period in our country’s
history, but also provides the re-enactor the ability to do more
research and expand their knowledge about the time period as well.
After doing careful research on the subject and meeting the members of
Outwater’s at both the Washington Crossing event and Ft. Lee, I
knew I made the right choice. At Ft. Lee I was able to participate and
get my first hands-on experience with re-enacting. I could not wait for
the Trenton event, an event that did not disappoint. December
27th was a mild December day, and along with other re-enactors, I was
thankful for this. Arriving at the historic Old Barracks in Trenton and
donning period garb, it felt as if I was stepping back in time.
There was a great turnout from the unit and the camaraderie and
professionalism that the members of Outwater’s displayed cannot
be ignored. While there were a few new members of the unit that day,
the more seasoned members took the time to make sure that our
participation went off without a hitch.
As our group drilled on the grounds of the Old Barracks, much as
soldiers did over 200 years ago, you begin to understand what makes up
a militia unit. These were not professional soldiers, they were
ordinary citizens: Farmers, millers, sailors, blacksmiths, hunters, who
stood up to the aggression of the English crown. This diversity
showed in the make-up of our men. Not one individual looked the same;
we all had different hats, shirts, canteens, and muskets.
On the flip side, you had the impressive Hessian units. Then, as now,
they were intimidating force. Everyone had the same uniform, standard
issue, and even their head gear made the soldiers all appear taller and
as they drilled on the grounds (their commands being given in German).
You could see why they were viewed in such a negative light. They were
larger than life and would be seen as very foreign to anyone in the
colonies. As we marched out of the Barracks and stepped back into
history, cannons firing, muskets blazing, smoke blinding, and the
sounds deafening, I could not help but feel a sense of pride at being a
member of Outwater’s and bringing the story of the militia man to
life.
If you ever have been up and down busy Route 17 in Bergen County,
you may have passed a very important landmark during the American
Revolution that not many people know about. Past the strip malls and
fast food joints, stands the Old Paramus Church, in Ridgewood, NJ. The
church overlooks the highway and almost acts as a gateway to the
northern Bergen County towns of Ho-Ho-Kus, Saddle River, Ramsey and
Mahwah. Prior to the American Revolution, Bergen County was an area
settled primarily by the Dutch. However, with the Dutch came French
Huguenots, Danes, Poles, and eventually the English and Scottish. This
was the world of John Outwater.
While Hackensack was the primary town of the region, further north on
the King’s Highway (present day Paramus Road, which is still
dotted with old Dutch style homes) sat the Old Reformed Church. During
colonial times, the area was not known as Ridgewood, but rather
Paramus, Pyramus or Paramus Plains. The area was ideal for farming due
to the location of the Saddle River and Ho-Ho-Kus Brooks, and the same
streams would provide power for mills to spring up along the banks.
This church sat on a crossroads, a crossroads that controlled
north/south trade and one that George Washington saw as being so vital,
he thought it should be defended during the war to restrict trade with
British controlled New York. Today it rests on Glen Ave and the
Franklin Turnpike. During Colonial times, the Franklin Turnpike would
continue south, over the Saddle River, onto where Route 17 is currently
located, and link up with King’s Highway (Paramus Road)
Given its close proximity to New York, many people today work in the
City and the City relies on its neighbor to the west. This was the same
in Colonial times. After the defeats at Trenton and Princeton, and the
British decision to pull troops out of New Jersey and back to New York,
Bergen County became a vital and forgotten front of the American
Revolution. There were no large or famous battles that took place, but
the families and the militia that protected them, like
Outwater’s, could tell you a different story. Neighbor vs. /
neighbor, family vs. family, it made for a long and brutal campaign.
Imagine being on patrol with your company and while you are away, your
farm or business is unprotected against Tory raids. Or by declaring
that you were a Patriot or Whig, you were left open to Tory
persecution. Yet as we peel this history back, we also see that the
strife that occurred in Bergen County also had religious undertones.
One group favored a split from the Old World control over the Reformed
Church, while the other faction did not. These two separate
factions would find themselves on opposite sides regarding the
conflict with England as well.
The Old Reformed Church would see the start of the court martial of
General Lee due to his actions at the Battle of Monmouth, and would
have such famous visitors as Alexander Hamilton, the Marquis de
Lafayette, Anthony Wayne, and Aaron Burr. On April 16, 1780, the
British mounted an attack on this crossroads, defended by the 3rd
Pennsylvania Regiment; however, after the British overran the position,
they started their march back to New York. The militia organized and
harassed the British on their march back, inflicting serious
casualties. This was not the only incursion into the area, but it
showed that even though numbers were not on their side, the patriot
militia of Bergen County would stand up and fight, even in the face of
superior numbers.
Though the original Reformed Church was torn down in 1800, after being
damaged from the War and serving as a field hospital, it was rebuilt
with the same stones on the same location and has served the
surrounding community ever since. So the next time you decide to visit
the Garden State Plaza, take a detour and continue traveling north on
Route 17 to the Old Paramus Reformed Church. Stop by the
Old School House Museum in Ridgewood, which offers a glimpse of the
regions vibrant history as a farming community well into the early 20th
century. And if you haven’t done so, pick up a copy of the
Revolutionary War in the Hackensack Valley by Adrian Leiby.
Sources:
http://www.oldparamus.org/index.html
The Revolutionary War in the Hackensack Valley, Adrian C. Leiby
© 2010 By Outwater's Militia. All rights reserved.