New York Line Campsite in Bridgewater

Location

Bridgewater, NJ

Who?:  American
Units:  New York Line
Direction:  north
Destination:  Newburgh, New York
Date:  December 7/8, 1781
Public Access:  1

“Continued our march to Rariton River Steels Gap Near Bown Brookand Encamped.” Steels Gap” is probably Steeles Tavern; there is also a Steel Gap Road in Middlebrook.The camp could either be that of the Virginia Troops of 1778/79 to the west of the Middlebrook Gap or, more likely, that of the Maryland Camp of 1778/79 to the east of the gap on Gilbridge Road off of New Jersey-CR 527. Middlebrook was a small village west of Bound Brook, at the foot of Vosseller Avenue along West Main Street. The 1778/79 encampments were north of the village, at the gap into the Watchung Mountains just east of the junction of Routes 22 and 287.