Monument to the First New Jersey Brigade of the Continental Army - Valley Forge, PA - There's a Book About It on Waymarking.com

This book was produced a year after the monument was unveiled and dedicated by the Camden Lodge, No. 23, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in 1914.

New Jersey was the fourth state to erect a monument to its soldiers at Valley Forge. The New Jersey troops or "Jersey Blues" as they were called were some of the staunchest soldiers of the Continental Army and apparently were exceedingly well organized and disciplined. Atop the monument stands a New Jersey Continental Soldier, and the base reads, "New Jersey Brigade," and "Continental Army." The monument is along South Inner Line Drive as it curves to the right. The monument is pushed away from the road on a grassy slope. This road can be had form a main artery called Gulph Road.

The statue is reminiscent of some of the monument soldiers which top the Gettysburg sculptures probably because they were made at approximately the same time. I'd wager the folks at Valley Forge got the monumentation itch when they saw what was going on at the rival battlefield of Gettysburg. The statue was fabricated by the O.J. Hammill Company and produced at the Jno. Wiiliams, Inc. foundry, Jno. a prominent American foundry, located in New York City, established in 1875, incorporated in 1905 and dissolved in 1956. The monument was dedicated of May 30, 1913 by my great State of New Jersey. The sculpture is of course of bronze and the base is of granite. The sculpture is approximately 5½ feet x 3¼ feet². The base is 27 feet x 10? feet².

SIRIS describes the monument as: A Revolutionary War soldier stands in uniform, holding a musket with both hands with the barrel over his proper left shoulder. He is wearing knee-length pants, stockings, a wind-blown blanket wrapped around his shoulders, a muffler around his neck, and a tricorn hat. The figure is mounted upon a tall, multitiered, inscribed base that includes draping with bunting and rossettes above the midsection. The lower section of the base is stepped, with a bronze copy of the seal of New Jersey and a plaque below it. The inscription reads:

Erected by
The State of New Jersey
upon the site occupied by the
New Jersey Brigade
Infantry – Line – Continental Army
Brigadier General William Maxwell

First Regiment Col. Mathias Ogden
Second Regiment Col. Israel Shreve
Third Regiment Col. Elias Dayton
Fourth Regiment Col. Ephraim Martin

December 19 1777 – June 18 1778

The New Jersey Memorial meets criterion A for its association with American Revolution and Criterion B for its association with George Washington and the impact of the encampment on his military career. PA SHPO concurrence 9/16/2004 to 2000 CLI that resource contributes to the national significance of Valley Forge NHP. The statue is inventoried as structure no. 438.

From the Nomination Form:
Erected in 1913 by the State of New Jersey, the fourth state to honor its troops at Valley Forge. Listed as contributing object in 10/28/1988 NR documentation, with Commemorative significance.

Short Physical Description:
18' column on 7'h 10'6"w 3-step base w/ inscribed pedastal, surmounted by 8' bronze Continental soldier. Column tapers from 4'-2'. Stonework constr. by O.J. Hammel Co., statue model sculpted by John Horrigan, bronze casting by John Williams, Co.

Long Physical Description:
N/A