Raritan River Crossing Site

The Albany Street bridge over the Raritan River marks the approximate location of the colonial bridge that Washington ordered destroyed on December 1, 1776, to delay the British pursuit. The Raritan at New Brunswick was the most significant river crossing in the retreat corridor from Fort Lee to Trenton, wide enough to stop an army temporarily and forcing British commanders to pause before rebuilding the crossing. Washington crossed here multiple times in 1776 and 1777, and the river's crossing points shaped every phase of the campaign.