Notes of the 250th anniversary of the United States, from a Kingston, NJ perspective.
Help Needed Sunday, January 3, 2027
On the morning of January 3, 1777, the Continental Army marched north from Trenton and Princeton to the old Presbyterian Church yard in Kingston. There General Washington and his generals held a hasty council of war – go to New Brunswick or Morristown?
The 250th anniversary is Sunday, January 3rd. We anticipate Kingston will be welcoming visitors and reenactors for the celebration not only from Frankin Township, South Brunswick Township and Princeton, NJ, but from across the state and nation.
The Kingston Historical Society is organizing “Ambassadors” for the reenactment of the Conference on Horseback. To be an Ambassador, you need to be safety oriented, be able to work the event even in cold weather, and know local roads.
We need local ambassadors to help organize participants and viewers, including: keeping horses and attendees safe, parking cars, helping to direct traffic, and more.
Can you help? Email George Luck Jr gluckjr@khsnj.org
Please volunteer NOW. We will meet in December to go over logistics and organize assignments. Volunteer Ambassadors will help before, during, and after the events of the day.
(TO BE DONE: Add an online volunteering form here)
This event is organized by Franklin Township, Somerset County’s Franklin250 Committee
https://www.franklintwpnj.org/our-township/franklin-250
Assisted by Kingston Historical Soc. and Sons of the American Revolution
Conference on Horseback, January 3rd, 1777 (reenactment Jan 3, 2027)
See the full resolution copy of the British map of the Trenton and Princeton battles HERE ( Library of Congress link)
Watch a 13 minute NJTV video about the history HERE
Washington and his generals held a “Conference on Horseback” to decide whether to march to Brunswick (along what is now Route 27) and attempt to capture the British supplies or cross over the Rocky Hill and aim for the safety of Somerset Court House (now Millstone) and Morristown. Was the risk worth it?
2026 Celebration:
In 2026 Two Events are scheduled for Sunday, January 4th, 2026 in Kingston. Although it was the 249th anniversary of the conference, these are part of a year-long celebration of the Revolutionary War:
- https://www.khsnj.org/event/250th-lunch-with-washington-and-his-generals/
- https://www.khsnj.org/event/250th-the-conference-on-horseback/
June 23-25, 1775 – Washington travels through Kingston going north.
George Washington had just been appointed General and Commander in Chief by the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia. Because of distance and the desire for accuracy, reports of the British victory in the June 17 “Battle of Bunker Hill” (actually Breeds Hill) had not come south to Philadelphia.
Washington rode from Trenton to (new) Brunswick, through Kingston on the 23rd or 24th of June. During this period he stopped keeping a personal diary and had not begun with his officer’s diary, but did write the Congress from New York. That letter is dated June 24, but is said to be written on June 25.
The South Brunswick Historical Society had a discussion of this event on Youtube: HERE
The group traveling to New York via the King’s Highway included: Philip Schuyler, Abraham Markoe and an escort troop of horsemen he sponsored -the Philadelphia Light Horse, Charles Lee, Roger Sherman, and Joseph Reed.
The presenter, Ed Belding, believes that they spent the night in Kingston, but he has no written history of the actual journey.
Sources:
Washington, George. George Washington Papers, Series 3, Varick Transcripts, 1775 to 1785, Subseries 3A, Continental Congress, 1775 to 1783, Letterbook 1:- Sept. 22, 1776. – September 22, 1776, 1775. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mgw3a.001/.
https://boston1775.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-slow-spread-of-official-news-about.html