New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site

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The New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site is located along NY 300 a mile north of Vails Gate in Orange County's Town of New Windsor. It is a reconstruction of the final encampment of the Continental Army.

Between June 1782 and October 1783 7,000 troops were boarded here in 600 log huts, over 1,600 acres (6.4 km²). Although the Siege of Yorktown had ended the war the year before, George Washington knew that there was still strong sentiment in Britain for restarting the war and taking the colonies back. Thus it was necessary to keep the army here, within striking distance of New York City and next to the vital Hudson River, until all the British forces were withdrawn. On April 19, 1783, Washington issued a cease fire order, officially ending the war for the Army.

They were still uncertain times, however, as the Newburgh Conspiracy, where Washington persuaded his officers not to march on the Continental Congress and demand back pay at gunpoint, would demonstrate. The Temple, where he made his famous speech revealing his vision problems for the first time, is among the buildings that have been reconstructed.

The Badge of Military Merit, later the Purple Heart, was first awarded here, and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor was opened November 10, 2006 in recognition of that history.

After the war, the abandoned huts were torn down by area residents to use as firewood. The fields and stone walls remain, however. In 1936 the town acquired 167 acres (67 ha) of the original site, which it runs on the opposite side of Route 300 as the Last Encampment, and along with the National Temple Hill Association has kept it up as a monument. The Temple itself and its vicinity are owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation but operated by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

The site is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from mid-April through October. Admission is $4, $3 for senior citizens, $1 for children 5-12 and free for children under 5. A ticket allows access to the buildings and museum. Activities and events with re-enactors in period costume are scheduled frequently.

[edit] See also

• Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site
• Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site

[edit] External links

• Official website
• New Windsor Cantonment at state Division of Military and Naval Affairs' site.

	U.S. National Register of Historic Places - (List of entries)
	National Park Service . National Historic Landmarks . National Battlefields . National Historic Sites . National Historic Parks . National Memorials . National Monuments

New York in the American Revolutionary War

Pre-war: Sons of Liberty 1775: Invasion of Canada – Capture of Fort Ticonderoga 1776: New York and New Jersey campaign – Battle of Long Island – New York Prison Ships Begin – Landing at Kip's Bay – Battle of Harlem Heights – Great Fire of New York – Execution of Nathan Hale – Battle of Valcour Island – Battle of Pell's Point – Battle of White Plains – Battle of Fort Washington 1777: Meigs Raid – Saratoga campaign – Battle of Ticonderoga – Battle of Hubbardton – Battle of Fort Ann – Battle of Oriskany – Battle of Saratoga – Battle of Freeman's Farm – Battle of Bemis Heights 1778: Setauket Spy Ring Launched – Battle of Cobleskill – West Point established – Cherry Valley massacre 1779: Battle of Stony Point – Sullivan Expedition – Battle of Newtown 1780: First Purple Heart – André Capture Reveals Traitor Benedict Arnold 1781: HMS Culloden Runs Aground at Montauk – Washington Calls Off Invasion of New York to Support Yorktown 1782: Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh – Newburgh letter – 1783: Newburgh conspiracy – British Evacuate New York – Washington's Farewell to His Officers