By 1780, five long years have passed since shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. The Revolution is teetering, if not on the brink of disaster. Continental currency is so worthless that the phrase, “Not worth a Continental” enters the English language. The winter of 1780 is the coldest of the entire 18th century The New York harbor was frozen solid, so much so that the British were able to move cannons on sleds from Manhattan to Staten Island. That winter, Washington’s Army nearly starved to death a Jockey Hollow in Morristown, suffering more than anything seen at Valley Forge. Conditions are so bad the mutinies break out and continue throughout the spring.
With the British forces based on Staten Island, Elizabethtown was a very easy target, with the city enduring an estimated seventy-five raids, skirmishes, and battles during the early years of the war. It was a discouraging time for the supporters of the Revolution. With crushing American defeats on Long Island and then Fort Lee, the situation was so dire that some revolutionaries began to question whether the war was winnable. The story is told that a group of men met at the Elizabethtown home of Isaac Arnett to consider their fate. But when the men agreed to side with the Crown, Isaac’s wife, Hannah, arose and castigated them—Isaac included—as traitors:
“Isaac,” she said, “we have lived together for twenty years, and through all of them I have been a true and loving wife; but… if you do this shameful thing, I will never own you again as my husband.” When she was done, the men reconsidered and vowed to continue their fight for Independence.
While the Arnetts might have settled their differences, there were many families who remained divided over the colonies should declare Independence. During a raid on January 25, 1780, the First Presbyterian Church was burned, a fairly standard tactic for the British forces. But perhaps the more startling aspect of this latest plunder was that the raid was led by Cornelius Hetfield, a Staten Island Tory originally from Elizabethtown, whose father was an Elder of the church.
But events would turn far darker come the spring. On the night of June 7, 1780, Hessian Brigadier General Wilhelm Von Knyphausen settled into a defensive position at Elizabethtown Point, (where The Last Invasion Historic Trail trail begins) while his advance forces carried on the fight.
For two weeks in that June of 1780, Elizabeth was a virtual no-man’s-land, the scene of almost daily skirmishes. While the British and Hessians indulged themselves in an orgy of looting. Knyphausen burned neighboring Connecticut Farms and Springfield, withdrew to the Point, and crossed to Staten Island on a pontoon bridge.
But repeated forays into Elizabethtown were not going to win the war and the British military leaders were growing tired of this long-running cat-and mouse game across New Jersey. They had to crush Washington once and for all and the only way to do it was to capture to his encampment in Morristown.
It may be hard for us to imagine today, given the fact that modern cars easily navigate the most challenging terrain, but for an 18th century army pulling cannons and supplies, going over the Watchung Mountains was not an option—but going through the Hobart Gap was. (So the next time you are driving on Route 78/Route 24 in the Summit area, look to either side of the highway and you will see why the British needed to use this “gap” in the mountain range to get to Morristown.
But to get through the Hobart Gap, the British had to get through what is now Elizabeth, Kenilworth, Roselle Park, Union and Springfield.