MID HUDSON

New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site

https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/newwindsor/maps.aspx

374 Temple Hill Road

Vails Gate, NY 12553

Hours: Vistor Center exhbits open year-round Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm - 5 pm

Costumed living history mid-April to October 31 Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm - 5 pm

Phone: (845) 562-7141

 

Historical Description:   The New Windsor Cantonment was the final encampment of Washington's army during the Revolutionary War and at that time was a thriving community of 8,000 soldiers as well as their families and skilled artisans. The army arrived here in October 1782 and left in June 1783. By late December 1782 the soldiers had constructed some 600 log huts. Officers of the Continental Army challenged Washington and Congress in the so-called Newburgh Addresses, but these challenges were defused with General Washington's famous speech at a meeting held in the Cantonment's Temple of Virtue on March 15, 1783. The "Proclamation of the Cessation of Hostilities," effective on April 19, 1783, which was the cease-fire that ended the American Revolution, disbanded the army and sent its soldiers home shortly thereafter.

 

The Site:   The New Windsor Cantonment is positioned on 120 acres of the original 1,600 acres. There are many buildings located on the grounds including the Temple of Virtue, the Mountainville Hut, and the Temple Hill Monument. A Visitor Center and exhibit galleries explain the historical significance of the camp and features military

 

Research Patron: Peter Stern