Meet soldiers and townspeople on the grounds of the Trent House Museum
The Trent House Association presents the fourth annual re-enactment of the days in late August/early September 1781 when thousands of soldiers and support personnel camped in and around Trenton. This free program of activities and talks is on Saturday, August 24, 2023, from 10 am to 4 pm on the Trent House Museum grounds at 15 Market Street, Trenton, across from the Hughes Justice Complex. Free parking is available at the rear of the Museum property.
In June 1781, the Continental Army under General Washington and the allied French Army under General Rochambeau began their march south from New York and Rhode Island. In late August 1781, the armies converged in Princeton, camping near Morven, the home of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, before continuing south on their way to confront British General Cornwallis in Virginia.
Thousands of French and American soldiers and accompanying civilians with horses and oxen pulling wagons and artillery carriages camped in and around Trenton, then a small town of about 500 residents, while their northern flank was protected by a rear guard in Maidenhead, now Lawrence, New Jersey. The Trenton encampment lasted several days as cannon were ferried across the river and people on foot and wagons forded at the Falls of the Delaware.
Imagine the impact of the army’s presence on Trenton and how members of the army might have interacted with townspeople. On Saturday, August 24th, visit the 4th annual re-enactment of the encampment at the Trent House. Try your luck in card and dice games with soldiers of Le Régiment Bourbonnais, a French infantry unit. Hear the drum beats that guided their troops. Practice drilling with African American infantry soldiers of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment and learn about their forebearers’ critical role throughout the Revolution. Help the town’s doctor prepare to treat injuries by rolling bandages, one of many ways civilians assisted the Continental Army. Prepare sweet bags of herbs worn to ward off smallpox. Enjoy tea and shortbread while hearing why patriotic women served herb tea instead of imported black tea at their tea tables. Learn about the craft and art of blacksmithing from the local blacksmith. Shop at the peddler’s stall for children’s toys and souvenirs. Bring your children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and young neighbors. This family-friendly event includes crafts and activities for school-age children and a “scavenger hunt” with prizes.
Delve deeper into the critical contributions of the French to winning the war for America’s independence with Paul Larson. The chair of the New Jersey Lafayette Bicentennial Committee, American Friends of Lafayette, at 11 am Paul will describe the diplomatic role that Lafayette played in gaining official French support and his actions on the field, as well as the military expertise and substantial troops that Rochambeau brought to the conflict. Using maps drawn by the French, at 2 pm Paul will guide visitors over the route through New Jersey in the summer of 1781 and trace that route on highways and roads of today.
This program is sponsored by the Trent House Museum in partnership with the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, Lawrence Historical Society, and Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association-New Jersey.
The William Trent House Museum is a National Historic Landmark in the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area and on the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.
The Museum is dedicated to sharing the authentic history of the house, property, and people with our communities, connecting the past with today and tomorrow. Owned by the City of Trenton, it is operated by the Trent House Association, which is supported by the generosity of its members and donors; by grants from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, the New Jersey Historic Trust, the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission with funding from the New Jersey Historical Commission, and the Bunbury Fund and the New Jersey Arts & Culture Renewal Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation; and by contributions from NJM Insurance Group and Orion General Contractors. For more information, visit www.williamtrenthouse.org.
