The Revolutionary War lasted far longer than anyone anticipated. Patriots initially expected a quick conflict would persuade George III to address their grievances. British leaders presumed a loyalist majority would rally to the king’s forces and the insurrection would be swiftly crushed. Instead, the struggle became locked in a vicious stalemate—a contest of wills and resources that mired American communities in violence and hardship for eight long years.

During the first 18 months of war, as the patriots enjoyed a string of victories in New England and then suffered a series of devastating losses in New York, New Jersey remained largely untouched. But when the British army chased Washington’s troops from New York to Pennsylvania in late 1776, New Jersey became an epicenter of the fighting. Caught between the British stronghold at New York City and the rebel capital at Philadelphia, the former colony descended into a civil war marked by privation, vengeance, and fear. By war’s end, New Jersey had seen more military engagements than any other state.