The Traversing the Ten Crucial Days Bus Tour begins at Washington Crossing, PA. From 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, you will retrace the “…times that tried men’s souls.” From the 25 December 1776 crossing of the Delaware through to the Battle of Princeton, 3 January 1777.  You will learn about the military engagements between the remaining rag-tag elements of George Washington’s army against Hessian and British troops at Trenton, Princeton, and areas in between. Historical Interpreters will tell the remarkable stories of these ten days that breathed crucial new life into the expiring American Revolution. The events are discussed in the context of the local, strategically important, central Jersey towns, villages, and farms; occupied by families with diverse backgrounds; practicing varied religions, such as Quakers, Presbyterians, and Anglicans, and holding complex views on loyalty to the Revolution or the King. Hear how the terrain, weaponry, and weather influenced how the battles were fought and how they disrupted the lives of the local people. See where armies marched, fought, and struggled to survive on an otherwise peaceful landscape, while the course of human history hung in the balance.

Historical Interpreters: Tours are led by Larry Kidder, author of CROSSROADS OF THE REVOLUTION: Trenton 1774 – 1783, A PEOPLE HARASSED AND EXHAUSTED: The First Hunterdon County Militia and TEN CRUCIAL DAYS: Washington's Vision for Victory Unfolds, and Roger S. Williams; State Historian, New Jersey Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Co-Founder of TenCrucialDays.org, a member of the Society of Military History, the Company of Military Historians, and Society for Historians of the Early American Republic.  Kidder and Williams are joined at each venue by the interpretive staff.

 Cost: $145 per person, including bus fare, lunch, and donations to selected tour sites. Limit: 56 Guests.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to officially recognized friends’ groups of the Ten Crucial Days Campaign venues.

For more information, Click Here.

Private Tours:  Click here for information about private customized tours.

Come experience our annual winter reenactment during Trenton's Patriots Week Celebration! On Saturday, December 28th, be immersed in history as you are surrounded by reenactors portraying the soldiers who fought during the Battles of Trenton, which ultimately shaped the destiny of the Revolutionary War and our nation. Follow the troops through the streets and watch as they relive the events of these fateful battles. Come back to interact with the soldiers, take tours of the oldest free-standing military barracks in North America, and visit The Quartermaster's Store. What better way to celebrate New Jersey’s revolutionary history than by celebrating this crucial Trenton victory?

Experience the excitement of the Battle of Trenton live! Following the all-night crossing and nine-mile march from McKonkey’s Ferry with a sleet storm at their backs, Washington’s little army of 2,400 men and 18 cannons arrived in Trenton around 8 AM on the morning of December 26, 1776. Generals Washington and Greene surrounded the northern part of town while General Sullivan struck the town along what is now West State Street, cutting off escape to the south over the Assunpink Creek. After a running street fight lasting little more than an hour, there were over 90 casualties and the Hessian troops surrendered.

The Battle of Trenton reenactment will begin at the Old Barracks Museum when the troops march off at 10:45 AM to the Battle of Trenton Monument at the intersection of Warren and Broad Streets. The reenactment will begin at 11 AM at the Battle of Trenton Monument and proceeds down Warren Street towards Mill Hill Park. Head back to the Old Barracks Museum for programming and a musket demonstration ($5 admission applies).

Having abandoned Trenton shortly after the battle on December 26, Washington re-crossed with a much larger army later in the week upon learning the British had not re-occupied Trenton. On the morning of January 2, 1777, he dispatched a small brigade up what is now Rt. 206 to reconnoiter toward Princeton. They were met by a very strong column of British, Hessians, and Highlanders under General Cornwallis and driven back along a bitterly contested, afternoon-long retreat into Trenton proper.

The Second Battle of Trenton (or the Battle of the Assunpink) is reenacted in Mill Hill Park at 3 PM – witness the action live!

The Old Barracks Museum is at 101 Barrack Street, Trenton, NJ. Parking for the event is free, close, and plentiful, available in the small lot next to the museum as well as the lot next to The War Memorial.  There is special reduced pricing for this event. The battles are free to the public, and entrance onto the museum grounds is $5 per person (children 5 and under are free).

For more information, call 609-396-1776 or visit www.barracks.org. This event is hosted by the Old Barracks Museum and is part of Patriots Week, a week-long celebration of Trenton’s revolutionary history. Visit www.patriotsweek.com for more information on this and other events.

The Traversing the Ten Crucial Days Bus Tour begins at Washington Crossing, PA. From 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, you will retrace the “…times that tried men’s souls.” From the 25 December 1776 crossing of the Delaware through to the Battle of Princeton, 3 January 1777.  You will learn about the military engagements between the remaining rag-tag elements of George Washington’s army against Hessian and British troops at Trenton, Princeton, and areas in between. Historical Interpreters will tell the remarkable stories of these ten days that breathed crucial new life into the expiring American Revolution. The events are discussed in the context of the local, strategically important, central Jersey towns, villages, and farms; occupied by families with diverse backgrounds; practicing varied religions, such as Quakers, Presbyterians, and Anglicans, and holding complex views on loyalty to the Revolution or the King. Hear how the terrain, weaponry, and weather influenced how the battles were fought and how they disrupted the lives of the local people. See where armies marched, fought, and struggled to survive on an otherwise peaceful landscape, while the course of human history hung in the balance.

Historical Interpreters: Tours are led by Larry Kidder, author of CROSSROADS OF THE REVOLUTION: Trenton 1774 – 1783, A PEOPLE HARASSED AND EXHAUSTED: The First Hunterdon County Militia and TEN CRUCIAL DAYS: Washington's Vision for Victory Unfolds, and Roger S. Williams; State Historian, New Jersey Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Co-Founder of TenCrucialDays.org, a member of the Society of Military History, the Company of Military Historians, and Society for Historians of the Early American Republic.  Kidder and Williams are joined at each venue by the interpretive staff.

 Cost: $145 per person, including bus fare, lunch, and donations to selected tour sites. Limit: 56 Guests.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to officially recognized friends’ groups of the Ten Crucial Days Campaign venues..

For more information, Click Here

Private Tours:  Click here for information about private customized tours.

• 9:00 to 11:00 am "Experience the Battle of Princeton" Reenactment - Princeton Battlefield, 500 Mercer St., Princeton, NJ 08540

• 11:30 to 12:15 am Hereditary Organization/Military Representative Commemorative Wreath Laying

  The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood in Princeton. Following a surprise attack at Trenton early in the morning of December 26, 1776, General George Washington of the Continental Army decided to attack the British in New Jersey before entering the winter quarters. On December 30, he crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey. His troops followed on January 3, 1777. Washington advanced to Princeton by a back road, where he pushed back a smaller British force but had to retreat before Cornwallis arrived with reinforcements. The battles of Trenton and Princeton boosted the morale of the patriot cause, leading many recruits to join the Continental Army in the spring.

A battle between the Continentals and Redcoats at 2pm. Events all day include: Breakfast with the Troops, Martialing the kids, History Faire, Pirates, Pony rides, Learn sword fighting, Pillory for malcontents, Battle of the Brews, Yelling contest, Caricature and silhouette artists, Artisans at the Indian King Tavern Museum, Colonial dancing, and more. Military units: 1st New Jersey Redcoats, 2nd Pennsylvania Continentals, Washington Crossing Fife & Drum, and Queens Rangers on horseback. The Daughters of the American Revolution usually have a table at The Haddon Fortnightly.

For more information go to http://www.indiankingfriends.org

Contact: Philip Zoebisch pszoebisch@gmail.com

NJSSAR Battle of Monmouth at Battleship New Jersey, 62 Battleship Place, Camden, NJ 08103

Join Compatriots to hear all the news, speakers, and upcoming events. Break bread while we commemorate the actions of June 6, 1778, Battle of Monmouth.

Presentation to the 2025 Recipient TK

Today, a new-generation Mercer Oak grows at the battlefield as a symbol of the pivotal victory won by American soldiers on January 3 1777. The victory at Princeton ended the “ten crucial days” of 1776-77, during which the dynamics of the American Revolution were fundamentally altered in favor of independence.

Past Mercer Oak Award recipients include Jerry Hurwitz (2017), past president of the Princeton Battlefield Society, Raoul Momo (2018) of the Terra Momo Restaurant Group, Peter J. Travers (2019) of Chase Field LLC, Mark & Rachel Herr (2021), Mark Herr Communications and Princeton history advocates, Roger S. Williams (2022), public historian and historical interpreter, and The Sons of the Revolution of New Jersey (2023), Liza and Skye Morehouse (2024).

The funds raised at this year’s Mercer Oak Award Reception will fund the new Battle of Princeton exhibit in the Thomas Clarke House Museum in the Park. Friends and associates of the Sons of the Revolution, as well as members, donors, and friends of the Princeton Battlefield Society, are invited to join our recognition in any of the following ways:

• Attend the dinner (tickets are $100 per attendee).

• Place an ad or congratulatory message in the Mercer Oak Award program.

• Send a donation for inclusion in the Mercer Oak Award program.

• Contribute a gift to be used in the Silent Auction.

The Princeton Battlefield Society is the official friends organization for the Princeton Battlefield State Park. The Society organizes historical/educational events at the Park including Young Patriot’s Day (September), Experience the Battle of Princeton (December), battlefield tours, Park Clean Up Day (April), and commemorative events during various national holidays. Educational initiatives include Eyewitness of the American Revolution, battlefield signage, informational materials and exhibits, and preservation/protection programs. For more information see our website – www.pbs1777.org.

Monmouth Battlefield will commemorate the Battle of Monmouth. This event features reenactments, soldier camps, talks, and historical presentations in the camps and the Visitor Center. There will also be children’s infantry and cannon drills.

The NJSSAR Color Guard will have a Commemorative Wreath Laying Ceremony. For more information, visit the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield at this link. Contact:  Jay Hershey
Julian.hershey@verizon.net (908) 301-016

You are invited to the Proprietary House in Perth Amboy to witness the Arrest of Governor William Franklin. There will be two performances, one at 1 pm and another at 3:30 pm. In between, Ed Glidden will lead a musket-firing demonstration. This is a fun event that involves history and some theatrics. The royal governor’s mansion, known today as the Proprietary House in Perth Amboy, each year stages a reenactment of the 1776 Arrest of Royal Governor William Franklin with the help of the NJSSAR Color Guard and others. The Proprietary House was the home of the last royal governor of New Jersey, William Franklin.

Website: www.theproprietaryhouse.org

Color Guard Muster: Arrive 10:30. Free Parking at. the Proprietary House Parking Lot. Rehearsal 11, followed by provided lunch. Performance 1pm. Muskets 3pm. Second performance, 3:30.

The Battle of The Short Hills was a conflict between a Continental Army force commanded by Brigadier General William Alexander and an opposing British force commanded by Lieutenant General William Howe. This large battle took place on June 26, 1777, over an extended area that included parts of Plainfield, Scotch Plains, Edison, and Woodbridge. The retreating British troops sacked parts of Scotch Plans and Westfield the following day. Wikipedia

Color Guard Muster: NJSSAR State Society event.  Muster 9:30 pm. Parking TD Bank, 2064 Oak Tree Road, 08820

Contact: Jay Hershey Julian.hershey@verizon.net

Join the Color Guard of the New Jersey Society, Sons of the American Revolution at City Hall Circle for the Annual Liberty Bell Ringing and Wreath Laying Commemorations at City Hall Circle. Speeches and colonial music from New Jersey Fife & Drum Corps.

Color Guard Muster: 11:30 at Liberty Bell Park, Market Square, City Hall, 260 High St.,

This unique show features American, French, British, and German cars representing the four countries involved in the Revolutionary War. Classic show-condition cars from model years 1998 and earlier are welcome in this class. There will also be an open class for cars of any make, model, and year. These prizes will be determined by peer judging.

All proceeds from this event will benefit the non-profit Friends of Washington Crossing Park’s historical and educational programming.

https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/event/rebels-and-redcoats-car-show-2023/

This event celebrates the anniversary of the day Continental and French troops marched through Westfield, NJ, on Aug. 29, 1781, on their way to Yorktown, Va., where they would fight, lay siege to and force the surrender of Cornwallis. Thousands of troops led by Gens. Washington and Rochambeau crossed New Jersey on their way to Yorktown that August, and several columns passed through Westfield including the 1st Rhode Island, with many African American soldiers.

This event’s chief sponsor is Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route-NJ, but the NJSSAR and West Fields Chapter and Westfield DAR all play important supporting roles. In some years there has been a parade at midday, in others an all day encampment in Mindowaskin Park.

For more information, contact: Jay Hershey

Join the Sons of the American Revolution for the commemorative events on the Battle of Brooklyn.

The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 26, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New York. The British defeated the Americans and gained access to the strategically important Port of New York, which they held for the rest of the war. It was the first major battle to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, and in troop deployment and combat, it was the largest battle of the war.

After defeating the British in the siege of Boston on March 17, commander-in-chief George Washington relocated the Continental Army to defend the port city of New York, located at the southern end of Manhattan Island. Washington understood that the city's harbor would provide an excellent base for the Royal Navy, so he established defenses there and waited for the British to attack. In July, the British, under the command of General William Howe, landed a few miles across the harbor on the sparsely populated Staten Island, where they were reinforced by a fleet of ships in Lower New York Bay over the next month and a half, bringing their total force to 32,000 troops. Washington knew the difficulty in holding the city with the British fleet in control of the entrance to the harbor at the Narrows and accordingly moved the bulk of his forces to Manhattan, believing that it would be the first target.

On August 21, the British landed on the shores of Gravesend Bay in southwest Kings County, across the Narrows from Staten Island and more than a dozen miles south of the established East River crossings to Manhattan. After five days of waiting, the British attacked the American defenses on the Guan Heights. Unknown to the Americans, however, Howe had brought his main army around their rear and attacked their flank soon after. The Americans panicked, resulting in twenty percent losses through casualties and capture, although a stand by 400 Maryland and Delaware troops prevented greater losses. The remainder of the army retreated to the main defenses on Brooklyn Heights. The British dug in for a siege, but on the night of August 29–30, Washington evacuated the entire army to Manhattan without the loss of supplies or a single life. The Continental Army was driven out of Manhattan entirely after several more defeats and was forced to retreat through New Jersey to Pennsylvania.

On September 3, 1777, at Cooch's Bridge, the first battle of the Philadelphia Campaign and the only battle fought on Delaware soil during the Revolutionary War. At least two-dozen Continental soldiers were killed during that battle and are believed to be buried in forgotten, unmarked graves somewhere on the battlefield.

The Delaware Societies of the Sons and the Daughters of the American Revolution requests your presence to honor and remember the soldiers who fell at the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge. Also participating will be the Pencader Heritage Area Association, Friends of Cooch's Bridge Historic Site, Delaware Division of Historic and Cultural Affairs, 1st Delaware Regiment, and member of the Friends of the Washington Rochambeau Trail.

Color Guard Muster: Compatriots wearing continental uniforms would be greatly appreciated. Please register at the following link: Battle of Cooch's Bridge Memorial Service. Memorial service honoring the fallen Continental & militia soldiers who bravely fought in the only American Revolutionary War battle in Delaware. Contact: Peter Moller, Cooch’s Bridge Battlefield DESSAR Coordinator and NJSSAR Trustee, hobokenpete@gmail.com

The Traversing the Ten Crucial Days Bus Tour begins at Washington Crossing, PA. From 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, you will retrace the “…times that tried men’s souls.” From the 25 December 1776 crossing of the Delaware through to the Battle of Princeton, 3 January 1777.  You will learn about the military engagements between the remaining rag-tag elements of George Washington’s army against Hessian and British troops at Trenton, Princeton, and areas in between. Historical Interpreters will tell the remarkable stories of these ten days that breathed crucial new life into the expiring American Revolution. The events are discussed in the context of the local, strategically important, central Jersey towns, villages, and farms; occupied by families with diverse backgrounds; practicing varied religions, such as Quakers, Presbyterians, and Anglicans, and holding complex views on loyalty to the Revolution or the King. Hear how the terrain, weaponry, and weather influenced how the battles were fought and how they disrupted the lives of the local people. See where armies marched, fought, and struggled to survive on an otherwise peaceful landscape, while the course of human history hung in the balance.

Historical Interpreters: Tours are led by Larry Kidder, author of CROSSROADS OF THE REVOLUTION: Trenton 1774 – 1783, A PEOPLE HARASSED AND EXHAUSTED: The First Hunterdon County Militia and TEN CRUCIAL DAYS: Washington's Vision for Victory Unfolds, and Roger S. Williams; State Historian, New Jersey Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Co-Founder of TenCrucialDays.org, a member of the Society of Military History, the Company of Military Historians, and Society for Historians of the Early American Republic.  Kidder and Williams are joined at each venue by the interpretive staff.

 Cost: $145 per person, including bus fare, lunch, and donations to selected tour sites. Limit: 56 Guests.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to officially recognized friends’ groups of the Ten Crucial Days Campaign venues.

For more information, Click Here.

Private Tours:  Click here for information about private customized tours.

• 10:45 to 11:30 Hereditary Organization Commemorative Wreath Laying at Washington Crossing

• 11:30 to 2:30 "First Crossing" Reenactment Washington Crossing Historic Park

Witness the Crossing That Saved the Revolution

Each December, thousands of people gather on the banks of the Delaware River to watch the reenactment of George Washington’s daring 1776 Christmas night river crossing. During the event, several hundred reenactors in Continental military dress listen to an inspiring speech by General Washington and then row across the river in replica Durham boats.

In addition to the crossing reenactment, special colonial-era activities and demonstrations in the Historic Village will offer a full day of family fun and learning.

TIME: 11 AM to 3 PM (actual crossing at 1 PM)
COST: $9 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-11, free for children younger than 5. Family rate (2 adults and 2 children) is $25.

Reserve your tickets https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/cross-with-us/