Continental Army Departs Morristown (Second Encampment)

The Continental Army broke camp at Jockey Hollow in June 1780, dispersing to various positions across New Jersey and New York. The departure was prompted by the approach of British forces and the need to defend the state against the raids that culminated in the Battle of Springfield. The second encampment had lasted approximately six months and had tested the army's survival more severely than any other period of the war. The army that left Morristown was diminished, hungry, and poorly equipped, but it had endured.