At this spot, George Washington and his men had to cross to avoid being trapped by the Hackensack River as British forces pursued them during the heartbreaking retreat across New Jersey. Thomas Paine wrote The American Crisis in response to a series of defeats and that retreat, urging perseverance in a time when, as he wrote, “the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot” would shrink from service. Paine recalled that the first objective was to secure the bridge over the Hackensack, which lay between the enemy and the American forces, and that Washington arrived in about three-quarters of an hour, marched at the head of the troops toward the bridge, and saw the greatest part of the troops cross after the British chose not to contest it. A pamphleteer, abolitionist, and champion of the common man, Paine also wrote Common Sense and argued passionately for an end to British tyranny; his widely read pamphlets, especially The Crisis, were key to rallying support when many “sunshine patriots” had gone home.

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin