Retracing the Middlebrook Encampments of the American Revolutionary War: A Cartographic Analysis

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Revisiting Revolutionary America" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Continental Army occupied a strategic section of the Watchung Mountains of New Jersey during the spring of 1777 and winter of 1778-79. More than 5,000 soldiers were encamped over a 10-square-mile area of Washington Valley in Somerset County. During what is known as the Middlebrook Encampments, the soldiers modified the terrain in this area by building fortifications (redoubts), huts, beacons and refuse pits. This study investigated the location of the encampments through the application of multiple lines of cartographic evidence. Contemporary and modern maps were used to establish areas of interest which were subsequently investigated with high-resolution terrain models and aerial imagery. This approach identified 84 non-modern terrain anomalies in a suburbanized environment. A selection of anomalies was confirmed to represent historical features such as a redoubt, stone walls and stone foundations. The developed approach has significant potential for future applications in the prospection and analysis of archaeological sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Revisiting Revolutionary America   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1777 to 1779 (Two military encampments during that timeframe)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Notes

General Note: View video of conference presentation at: https://youtu.be/avcwnxlbzNI