George Washington Drank Here

There are certainly many places in New Jersey where General George Washington stayed during his military campaigns. He certainly ate and drank in those places, too.  

Washington was not a heavy drinker of alcoholic beverages, but he did drink regularly. Madeira wine was his favorite, but he also drank rum punch, hard cider, and occasionally beer or porter. He even ran one of the largest distilleries in America after the war in Virginia.

Washington, with a tavern madeira

Where did he do some of this drinking?

The Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield (Camden County) is probably his most famous drinking connection. Washington visited while traveling through the state. Taverns like this served Madeira, rum punch, hard cider, and ale. The building later hosted the New Jersey legislature. It has been a strong tradition that Washington drank here. It is still standing and preserved as a historic site.

The Nassau Inn's original tavern in Princeton was a drinking spot where Washington as he stayed in town multiple times.  Located near the Battle of Princeton, this and other taverns were meeting places for officers. He probably drank his favorite Madeira or punch during stays. Tavern culture was integral to military life. 

Wallace House / Old Dutch Parsonage in Somerville (Somerset County) was Washington’s winter headquarters (1778–1779). He hosted dinners with his officers and staff, and wine and spirits were part of officer hospitality.  Records show regular alcohol consumption by staff. 

Ford Mansion in Morristown was Washington’s headquarters during the harsh winters of 1777 and 1779–1780. Washington was known to prefer Madeira over harder spirits and there were social evenings including drinks despite shortages. (Within the Morristown National Historical Park)

The Old Barracks, located in Trenton, was where Washington stayed before and after the Crossing of the Delaware. Soldiers were issued rum rations, but officers drank separately, and typically had wine or punch.

Rockingham House in Kingston (near Princeton) was where Washington stayed after the British evacuation of NYC. Celebratory gatherings with wine and toasts were customary

You can't stop by most of these places for a drink today, but you can drink in some history at all of them. Only the Nassau Inn Tap Room still operates as a drinking establishment with direct historical continuity. But if you want to go non-alcoholic, I have another suggestion.

Along the Aqueduct Trail in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park, there is a historically significant natural spring that provided water to people long before modern pipes existed. This natural spring is perhaps the most historically documented one in New Jersey. It’s the source of Primrose Brook, one of the cleanest-rated waterways in New Jersey, and is marked by a rudimentary stone wall piled around it and a slate slab canopy.

The Lenni Lenape used it as a water source hundreds of years ago, as can be ascertained by the many artifacts found in the immediate area, showing there was a settlement around it. 

While the late-1800s aqueduct system itself wasn’t around in Washington’s time, the spring that feeds Primrose Brook was a key fresh water source that helped make the Morristown/Jockey Hollow area viable for troops during the Revolutionary War. Washington led his Continental Army to winter encampment in Morristown during the Revolutionary War for a second time in 1779-80, and the spring was documented as being a water source for the patriot soldiers, particularly the Maryland and Pennsylvania brigades. One story tells of Washington visiting the spring after inspecting nearby drills and drinking directly from it with his cupped hands. 

In 1890, an aqueduct system was developed by the Morris Aqueduct Company, New Jersey’s first water company, founded in 1799, and the spring was put into use, bringing drinking water to the growing town. Today, the spring, with crystal-clear groundwater still flowing from it through cracks in the Precambrian bedrock, can be found along the Aqueduct Trail in the park.

A NOTE ON MADEIRA
Madeira wine is a fortified (grape brandy is added) wine originally coming from the Portuguese island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, and it was one of the most popular wines in colonial America. Madeira is deliberately heated and oxidized during production. This gives it remarkable stability and the ability to survive long sea voyages. Its flavors don’t spoil once opened, and so it became the preferred wine of the American colonies. Today, it is referred to as a dessert wine.

I bought a bottle recently that I'm saving for George's birthday on February 22nd. 

In the meantime, during this winter, I will have some "Newark cider" like the hard cider George thought was the best. Made from a blend of four elite New Jersey apple varieties. The blend was dominated by the Harrison apple and“lauded by George Washington.” Modern NJ cider makers restoring the tradition say that Ironbound’s Newark Cider is “literally the cider that George Washington drank.”

A Revolutionary Christmas Week in New Jersey

New Jersey is often called the "Crossroads of the American Revolution" because it saw more battles and skirmishes than any other state.

December 1776 was particularly important. It begins with a retreat. In early December, after losing New York City, General George Washington and the Continental Army retreated across New Jersey, pursued by the British. They crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania in early December, seizing all boats to prevent the British from following.

Thomas Paine's pamphlet "The American Crisis" was written while Paine was with the army in NJ and PA was published this month to boost morale. Washington ordered it read to his troops on December 23.

The 1776 Christmas-night crossing of the Delaware River by George Washington's Continental Army to attack Hessian forces in New Jersey is a very famous image and story. Washington’s army braved a winter storm to cross the ice-choked Delaware River from Pennsylvania back into New Jersey at McKonkey's Ferry (now Washington Crossing). 

The Battle of Trenton via Washington Crossing Historic Park

The first Battle of Trenton was on December 26, after the Delaware crossing and a march of nine miles to Trenton. This surprise attack on the Hessian garrison (German mercenaries hired by the British) was a decisive victory, capturing nearly 900 prisoners with almost no American casualties.

However, a massive British army of about 8,000 men led by Lord Charles Cornwallis was marching south from Princeton to crush him. Washington, with his back to the Delaware River, was effectively trapped. Cornwallis, believing Washington had no boats and was trapped against the impassable Delaware River, famously told his officers they could "bag the fox in the morning." He ordered his troops to rest for the night.

Realizing his army would be destroyed in a dawn attack, Washington executed a daring deception. He ordered a small group of soldiers to keep the campfires burning bright and to make digging noises, tricking the British sentries into thinking the Americans were digging in for a fight. In total silence, the rest of the Continental Army wrapped their wagon wheels in rags to dampen the sound and marched around the British flank in the middle of the night.

By the time Cornwallis woke up the next morning to "bag the fox," the American camp was empty. Washington was already miles away, about to launch a surprise attack on the British rearguard at the Battle of Princeton, which was another victory.

The "Second Crossing" (December 29–30) came because Washington took a huge risk and crossed back into New Jersey to solidify his gains and encourage the militia to rise up.

The Continental Army skirmishes with British and Hessian troops in Princeton on New Year’s Day. The Second Battle of Trenton, also known as the Battle of the Assunpink Creek, was a pivotal defensive stand by the Continental Army on January 2, 1777. While often overshadowed by the surprise attack on the Hessians a week earlier, this battle was arguably the moment the American Revolution came closest to total collapse.

If Washington had lost at Assunpink Creek, the Continental Army would likely have been captured or destroyed, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. Instead, the successful defense and subsequent escape allowed Washington to drive the British out of most of New Jersey and boosted public support for the Revolution.

After marching approximately 12 miles through a cold night, Washington’s army arrived at Princeton at dawn on January 3, 1777. They encountered a British brigade, led by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood, that was marching out of Princeton to join Cornwallis in Trenton. A sharp, fierce engagement broke out on the fields south of the town. 

At a crucial moment, when the lead American units were wavering and being overrun by a British bayonet charge, Washington personally rode to the front of the lines. He rallied the troops and led the counterattack, resulting in a decisive American victory. The remaining British troops were surrounded and forced to surrender inside Nassau Hall (the main building of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University).

Washington at the Battle of Princeton

Following the victory at Princeton, Washington knew his army was exhausted and vulnerable if Cornwallis—who was now rushing up from Trenton—caught them. Washington broke off the pursuit, leaving New Jersey's central corridor, and marched his army north to Morristown, New Jersey.

Beginning around January 6, 1777, the Continental Army set up its winter quarters in Morristown. This strategic location in the New Jersey Highlands allowed Washington to protect his army while constantly threatening the British supply lines that stretched between New York and their garrisons in New Jersey.

In this film, the "Ten Crucial Days" refers to the short, decisive period from December 25, 1776, through January 3, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War that was a critical turning point where General George Washington and the beleaguered Continental Army launched a series of daring, successful military operations in New Jersey that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and renewed the Patriot cause.