Women played key roles supporting military operations throughout the American Revolution. Camp followers went wherever the army did, providing meals, laundry, nursing, and other essential services, while enduring the often harsh discomforts of encampment life. While most camp followers were motivated by necessity, Martha Washington and other officers’ wives also regularly conducted visits to military encampments, helping to boost morale and provide moments of respite and hospitality. And sometimes the battlefront came directly to women, when family homes, including Trent House, were temporarily used for military headquarters and encampments.

This presentation highlights how women were often

in close proximity to military action throughout the war,

particularly in New Jersey, the “crossroads”

of the American Revolution.