French & Indian War Reenactor Information
Registration
Friday night from 4:30-8:00 PM in the Officers' House
Saturday morning 9:00-11:00 AM in the Gift Shop
Event participants can bring their cars onto barracks ground to unload belongings starting at 4:30 Friday.
We ask that after you have unloaded, that you move your car to the parking lot a adjacent to the barracks.
Cars will not be allowed back on Barracks grounds until 5:00 PM Sunday
Saturday morning 9:00-11:00 AM in the Gift Shop
Event participants can bring their cars onto barracks ground to unload belongings starting at 4:30 Friday.
We ask that after you have unloaded, that you move your car to the parking lot a adjacent to the barracks.
Cars will not be allowed back on Barracks grounds until 5:00 PM Sunday
Schedule of Events
10:15 AM Morning Formation: The day begins when the officers issue the day’s orders to their soldiers on the parade ground.
11:00 AM: Drilling and Musket Firing: Gather on the parade ground to witness drilling and a musket firing by Regular and Provincial soldiers.
12:00 PM Ration Distribution and Cooking: After being rationed their food for the day, soldiers will cook their dinners at the camp kitchen, demonstrating how meals were prepared in the field. Children with adult supervision are invited to help the Provincial soldiers in preparing their meals!
1:00 PM Saturday Only “The Jersey Blues Take Fort Frontenac”: Hear a lecture by George Bray about how the Jersey Blues seized Fort Frontenac from the French in 1758.
1:00 PM Powder Horn Activity: Children can gather around a real powder horn hand carved by a New Jersey soldier, James Garthwaite, and then draw their own powder horns telling their own story.
2:00 PM Drilling and Musket Firing: Gather on the parade ground to witness drilling and a musket firing by Regular and Provincial soldiers.
4:00 PM Drilling and Musket Firing: Gather on the parade ground to witness drilling and a musket firing by Regular and Provincial soldiers.
4:30 PM Evening Formation: The soldiers will assemble on the Parade Ground before being dismissed to their quarters.
11:00 AM: Drilling and Musket Firing: Gather on the parade ground to witness drilling and a musket firing by Regular and Provincial soldiers.
12:00 PM Ration Distribution and Cooking: After being rationed their food for the day, soldiers will cook their dinners at the camp kitchen, demonstrating how meals were prepared in the field. Children with adult supervision are invited to help the Provincial soldiers in preparing their meals!
1:00 PM Saturday Only “The Jersey Blues Take Fort Frontenac”: Hear a lecture by George Bray about how the Jersey Blues seized Fort Frontenac from the French in 1758.
1:00 PM Powder Horn Activity: Children can gather around a real powder horn hand carved by a New Jersey soldier, James Garthwaite, and then draw their own powder horns telling their own story.
2:00 PM Drilling and Musket Firing: Gather on the parade ground to witness drilling and a musket firing by Regular and Provincial soldiers.
4:00 PM Drilling and Musket Firing: Gather on the parade ground to witness drilling and a musket firing by Regular and Provincial soldiers.
4:30 PM Evening Formation: The soldiers will assemble on the Parade Ground before being dismissed to their quarters.
Chronology 1756 - 1766
1756
December: Three companies of 44th Foot to be quartered in Trenton for winter. On 23rd, citizens of Trenton petition legislature against abuses incurred from the quartering of troops. Similar petitions from other towns presented as well. On 24th, Assemblyman Joseph Yard presents petition citing his own grievances against soldiers.
1757
April: 44th vacates Trenton to begin new campaign
September: Over 600 soldiers, “ailing with the Scarbutick Complaints,” brought to New Jersey and placed in Elizabeth-Town, Newark, Woodbridge, and Perth Amboy.
November: Companies of 48th Foot quartered in Trenton for winter.
1758
May-June: Lot of approximately one acre purchased from Mrs. Sarah Chubb for £40. Construction begins under supervision of Joseph Yard, John Allen, and Theophilus Severns, Barracks Commissioners for Trenton.
November: Three or four companies of 27h Foot (Inniskilling Regiment), William Lord Blakeney commanding, begins occupation of Barracks despite that building not completed. Headquarters at Burlington.
December: Work on Barracks near completion. Construction of Officers’ House commences.
1759
March: Main construction of Officers’ House completed although interior work may have continued for many months. Joseph Yard and John Allen appointed Barracks-Masters by act of legislature.
April: Companies of 27th Foot vacate Barracks, going to New York for the new campaign.
October: Two companies of 1st or Royal Regiments (also known as the Royal Scots) quartered at Barracks. Four companies at Amboy and four at Brunswick.
1760
April: Royal Regiment vacates Barracks.
December: Two companies of 2nd Division of Independent Companies quartered for winter. Joseph Yard and John Allen reappointed as Barrack-Masters.
1761
April: Independents leave Barracks.
1762
November: Companies of 48th Regiment, under Colonel Daniel Webb, return from Siege of Havana, Cuba. Sail to Philadelphia, then up river to Burlington and Trenton.
1763
February 10: The French & Indian War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
February: Joseph Yard dies.
May: 48th Regiment leaves for New York.
1764
January 6: 150 Moravian Indians under escort from 77th Foot (Highlanders of Montgomery’s Regiment) arrive from Philadelphia. Captain Robinson commands guard on its way to New York. Detachment stays overnight. May have stayed in Barracks again on return several days later.
1765
May 7: Detachment of two companies of the 42nd Regiment (The Black Watch) under command of Major Campbell quartered in Barracks on their march from New York to Philadelphia. Detachment of 60th Foot (The Royal Americans).
June 17: Detachment of 42nd Regiment quartered in Barracks. May be related to above.
1766
September 4: Unknown number of soldiers of unidentified regiment at Barracks. Possibly recruits for 34th Regiment under Lt. Steel on way from Elizabeth-Town to Philadelphia and then to Fort Chartres (present day Illinois).
December 4: Unknown soldiers at Barracks.
December: Three companies of 44th Foot to be quartered in Trenton for winter. On 23rd, citizens of Trenton petition legislature against abuses incurred from the quartering of troops. Similar petitions from other towns presented as well. On 24th, Assemblyman Joseph Yard presents petition citing his own grievances against soldiers.
1757
April: 44th vacates Trenton to begin new campaign
September: Over 600 soldiers, “ailing with the Scarbutick Complaints,” brought to New Jersey and placed in Elizabeth-Town, Newark, Woodbridge, and Perth Amboy.
November: Companies of 48th Foot quartered in Trenton for winter.
1758
May-June: Lot of approximately one acre purchased from Mrs. Sarah Chubb for £40. Construction begins under supervision of Joseph Yard, John Allen, and Theophilus Severns, Barracks Commissioners for Trenton.
November: Three or four companies of 27h Foot (Inniskilling Regiment), William Lord Blakeney commanding, begins occupation of Barracks despite that building not completed. Headquarters at Burlington.
December: Work on Barracks near completion. Construction of Officers’ House commences.
1759
March: Main construction of Officers’ House completed although interior work may have continued for many months. Joseph Yard and John Allen appointed Barracks-Masters by act of legislature.
April: Companies of 27th Foot vacate Barracks, going to New York for the new campaign.
October: Two companies of 1st or Royal Regiments (also known as the Royal Scots) quartered at Barracks. Four companies at Amboy and four at Brunswick.
1760
April: Royal Regiment vacates Barracks.
December: Two companies of 2nd Division of Independent Companies quartered for winter. Joseph Yard and John Allen reappointed as Barrack-Masters.
1761
April: Independents leave Barracks.
1762
November: Companies of 48th Regiment, under Colonel Daniel Webb, return from Siege of Havana, Cuba. Sail to Philadelphia, then up river to Burlington and Trenton.
1763
February 10: The French & Indian War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
February: Joseph Yard dies.
May: 48th Regiment leaves for New York.
1764
January 6: 150 Moravian Indians under escort from 77th Foot (Highlanders of Montgomery’s Regiment) arrive from Philadelphia. Captain Robinson commands guard on its way to New York. Detachment stays overnight. May have stayed in Barracks again on return several days later.
1765
May 7: Detachment of two companies of the 42nd Regiment (The Black Watch) under command of Major Campbell quartered in Barracks on their march from New York to Philadelphia. Detachment of 60th Foot (The Royal Americans).
June 17: Detachment of 42nd Regiment quartered in Barracks. May be related to above.
1766
September 4: Unknown number of soldiers of unidentified regiment at Barracks. Possibly recruits for 34th Regiment under Lt. Steel on way from Elizabeth-Town to Philadelphia and then to Fort Chartres (present day Illinois).
December 4: Unknown soldiers at Barracks.
About the Trenton Barracks
In 1758, after two winters of Regulars being quartered “on the population” in Trenton, more than 50 Trentonians petitioned the Provincial Assembly to build barracks, as did prominent citizens in other New Jersey towns. Perth Amboy and Burlington were the only towns in New Jersey with populations around 1,500. Trenton, New Brunswick, Elizabethtown had between 900 and 1,100 people. Princeton was just a wide spot in the road. Accommodating even one regiment of approximately 1,000 men in any one place would swamp the local economy, so New Jersey opted to build 5 sets of barracks. Each barracks was roughly the same size, accommodated 250 to 300 men each, was one day’s march from the next one, and connected the Delaware just North of Philadelphia to New York harbor (North to South – Elizabethtown, Perth Amboy, New Brunswick, Trenton, and Burlington).
The Trenton Barracks had 20 squad rooms, each 15’ x 15’ accommodating 12 men (2 messes) each, in a basic “U” shape around a central parade. The basement was made up of store rooms and two kitchen hearths in the basement of the center block and one kitchen each in the basements of the North and South wings. We presume that two men from each room, would take the rations and the kettles from the two messes occupying that room, down to the basement kitchen in their wing to prepare meals. Meals were eaten in the squad rooms.
Squad rooms were each provided with a table, a pair of benches, one iron candlestick, one broom, and chamber pots. Each week a quarter cord of “firing” and 11 candles (1 pound) were allotted per room. Although we bake bread in a clay oven in the backyard, bread was likely purchased from one or more of the bakers nearby.
The current property within the fence is similar to the original footprint (9/10 of an acre). However, the back yard was not level as it is today; it pitched sharply towards the southwest as much as 15 to 18 feet down to Petty’s Run, which ran just behind the Barrack fence. The yard likely held an enormous quantity of firewood. To imagine just how much was issued to just the 20 squad rooms each month (not including the kitchens, Officer’s House, or guardrooms) envision the footprint of our parade four feet deep with wood. Typically, troops arrived in late November and stay until early April.
The Trenton Barracks had 20 squad rooms, each 15’ x 15’ accommodating 12 men (2 messes) each, in a basic “U” shape around a central parade. The basement was made up of store rooms and two kitchen hearths in the basement of the center block and one kitchen each in the basements of the North and South wings. We presume that two men from each room, would take the rations and the kettles from the two messes occupying that room, down to the basement kitchen in their wing to prepare meals. Meals were eaten in the squad rooms.
Squad rooms were each provided with a table, a pair of benches, one iron candlestick, one broom, and chamber pots. Each week a quarter cord of “firing” and 11 candles (1 pound) were allotted per room. Although we bake bread in a clay oven in the backyard, bread was likely purchased from one or more of the bakers nearby.
The current property within the fence is similar to the original footprint (9/10 of an acre). However, the back yard was not level as it is today; it pitched sharply towards the southwest as much as 15 to 18 feet down to Petty’s Run, which ran just behind the Barrack fence. The yard likely held an enormous quantity of firewood. To imagine just how much was issued to just the 20 squad rooms each month (not including the kitchens, Officer’s House, or guardrooms) envision the footprint of our parade four feet deep with wood. Typically, troops arrived in late November and stay until early April.
The Following Reenacting Organizations are attending "For King & Colony!":
The 27th Regiment of Foot
77th Highlanders
Kennedy's detachment of the Royal Americans
New Jersey Provincials
The 27th Regiment of Foot
77th Highlanders
Kennedy's detachment of the Royal Americans
New Jersey Provincials