With winter setting in in 1779-1780 George Washington put his army into winter quarters near Morristown, New Jersey coming off several battlefield victories and increased morale and optimism. This winter would put that optimism to the test and proved to be the hardest winter of the war in stark contrast the previous winter had been very mild.
Most of the army camped in Jockey Hollow on the farm of Henry Wick. Wick was a captain in the Morris County Cavalry and his 1400 acre estate was several hundred feet above the British encampments to the east. A small mountain range also shielded the area. It was heavily wooded and the soldiers quickly set about felling trees for shelter and nearly 60 acres of timber were felled.
The Wick family was among the most patriotic in the Colonies. He never received any compensation for the losses to his property nor did he ask for any. The army had also encamped here for the winter of 1777 following the victories at Trenton and Princeton. In 1779 about 13,000 men were present and endured the harshest winter of the war occupying 1,200 huts. To pass the time soldiers were put to work building fortifications. One, located on a hilltop overlooking Morristown, was known as Fort Nonsense since the soldiers thought they were building the fort to pass the time.
Not all were soldiers were content to just sit around. The Pennsylvania Line mutinied as did some soldiers from New Jersey. The ringleaders were hanged. The soldiers wanted better pay and living conditions and intended to march on Philadelphia but Pennsylvania leaders negotiated with them and their mutiny was ended peacefully.
Only about 100 soldiers died at Morristown, way down from the number of deaths at Valley Forge. Many of those who were unable to withstand the rigors of campaigning had long ago left the army and combine that with simply more experience kept the deaths down. They were accustomed to military life and despite the usual lack of food and clothing managed to withstand it and emerged from the winter as a more formidable fighting force.
Much of the encampment is preserved as Morristown National Historic Site.