Springfield Presbyterian Church

Springfield, NJ

New Jersey Historic Trust

The meetinghouse at this site was burned during the Battle of Springfield on June 23, 1780. It is also the setting of the famous tradition in which James Caldwell supplied Isaac Watts hymnbooks as musket wadding and urged soldiers to give the enemy "Watts." The Presbyterian Church's cemetery, located across Church Mall from the church, contains the graves of at least thirty-one Revolutionary War soldiers. A plaque at the gate pays tribute to "the heroic service performed at the Battle of Springfield, during the war for American Independence by the soldiers whose remains are resting within this sacred tract."

A statue of a Revolutionary War militia soldier honors the 500 New Jersey militia who fought and ultimately repelled a force of 6,000 British troops during the battle.

What's Nearby

Explore more of The Liberty Trail by visiting these nearby attractions.

Historic Site

A white wooden church with a tall clock‑tower steeple and red doors stands behind a stone‑bordered lawn with a lamppost and statue.

Springfield Presbyterian Church

Springfield, NJ 07081

Springfield Presbyterian Church

Historic Site

Historic House

This is a sketch of a cannon stationed on a battlefield.

Cannonball House at Springfield Battlesite

Springfield, NJ 07081

0.32090846649281

Cannonball House at Springfield Battlesite

Historic Site

A yellow colonial‑style house with green shutters and a steep dark roof stands behind a leafless tree, with a stone walkway leading to its green front door.

Cannonball House at Springfield Battle Site

Springfield, NJ 07081

0.32090846649281

Cannonball House at Springfield Battle Site

Historic Site

A bronze memorial plaque mounted on stone honors Colonel Israel Angell, featuring an engraved tribute letter from George Washington.

Col. Israel Angell Memorial and Rahway River

Springfield, NJ 07081

0.76997239370686

Col. Israel Angell Memorial and Rahway River Bridge

Battlefield

State/County Park

Historical Marker in Millburn, NJ, that details the "Forgotten Victory" of 1780

Battle of Springfield

Millburn, NJ 07041

1.3335473436298

Battle of Springfield

Historic Site

A red‑roofed informational sign stands beside a split paved walkway in a green park, with flowers, trees, and a small bridge in the background.

Taylor Park and the Forgotten Victory Trail

Milburn, NJ 07041

1.3448488696651

Taylor Park and the Forgotten Victory Trail

Historic Site

A bronze plaque mounted on a stone surrounded by greenery commemorates a June 23, 1780 militia action that halted a British advance toward Morristown.

Last British Thrust Marker

Millburn, NJ 07041

1.3930248378863

Last British Thrust Marker

Historic Site

A tan colonial‑style house with dormer windows, brick chimneys, and a columned porch stands behind trimmed hedges and a stone retaining wall, with an American flag flying beside it.

Hessian House

Millburn, NJ 07041

1.9495987502492

Hessian House

Historic Site

A bronze plaque mounted on a stone surface commemorates a June 23, 1780 battle where Americans delayed advancing British forces near Springfield.

Vauxhall Bridge Battle Marker

Millburn, NJ 07041

2.0233599205032

Vauxhall Bridge Battle Marker

Historic Site

Caldwell Parsonage

Union, NJ 07083

3.2041073997247

Caldwell Parsonage

Battlefield

Connecticut Farms and Springfield

Union, NJ 07083

Militia & Continentals push back a Hessian incursion

3.7466266891957

Connecticut Farms and Springfield

Historic Site

A kiosk with informational signs stands in a grassy park beside a street, with tall buildings rising in the background.

Union Veterans Honor Roll Park

Union, NJ 07083

3.7857236100449

Union Veterans Honor Roll Park

Historic Site

Battle of Connecticut Farms and Liberty Hall

Union, NJ 07083

7.7593697375483

Battle of Connecticut Farms and Liberty Hall Museum

Historic Site

Historic House

Liberty Hall

Union, NJ 07083

Former home of NJ's first elected governor

7.7593697375483

Liberty Hall

Historic Site

A tall brown stone Gothic‑style church tower with pointed arches and ornate spires rises above trees under a bright blue sky.

Saint John’s Episcopal Church

Elizabeth, NJ 07201

9.5945197412004

Saint John’s Episcopal Church

Historic Site

A tall brick church with a white clock‑tower steeple rises above a fenced grassy area with trees under a bright blue sky.

First Presbyterian Church and Elizabethtown

Elizabeth, NJ 07201

9.6317569203502

First Presbyterian Church and Elizabethtown Academy

Historic Site

A light‑stone courthouse stands behind a grassy area with a tree, a small cannon monument, and a historical marker noting the site of an early borough courthouse built before the Revolution.

Cannon at Elizabeth Courthouse

Elizabeth, NJ 07201

9.6806407442436

Cannon at Elizabeth Courthouse

Historic Site

A red historic house with white trim and twin brick chimneys stands behind a flagpole and walkway lined with bushes.

Boxwood Hall State Historic Site

Elizabeth, NJ 07201

9.9460190081515

Boxwood Hall State Historic Site

Historic Site

A tan historic building with green shutters and a columned porch stands along a brick sidewalk, shaded by large trees and marked by a streetlamp flying an American flag.

Stage House Inn

Scotch Plains, NJ 07076

10.020164621058

Stage House Inn

Historic Site

A two‑story yellow colonial house with dark brown trim and twin brick chimneys stands behind a small front porch and brick walkway.

Nathaniel Bonnell House

Elizabeth, NJ 07201

10.048301391164

Nathaniel Bonnell House

Historic Site

A colonial era militia statue enclosed by a circular black fence stands in a small plaza with an American flag behind it, surrounded by multi‑story city buildings under a bright blue sky.

Minuteman Statue

Elizabeth, NJ 07201

10.788125351772

Minuteman Statue

Historic Site

A large bronze monument shows soldiers and civilians in dramatic motion, with horses and figures emerging from a rugged base in an outdoor urban park.

Military Park

Newark, NJ 07102

12.277366854747

Military Park

Historic Site

A black cannon sits atop a small stone structure with a glass window, surrounded by green trees under an overcast sky.

The Battle of Short Hills

Scotch Plains, NJ 07076

12.302595928135

The Battle of Short Hills

State/County Park

Historic Site

Elizabethtown Point

Elizabeth, NJ 07206

12.596141024221

Elizabethtown Point

Historic Site

Historic House

Drake House

Plainfield, NJ 07060

Washington's HQ prior to the battle of Short Hills

14.919955741477

Nathaniel Drake House

Historic Site

A wooden entrance gate stands at the Old Barracks Museum, built from two tall posts and a horizontal beam. Beyond the gate, a gravel path leads to historic stone and brick buildings with red trim, surrounded by trees and greenery.

New Jersey Brigade Area

Morristown, NJ 07960

16.215819219939

New Jersey Brigade Area

National Park

Historic House

Ford Mansion

Morristown, NJ 07960

16.236656020029

Ford Mansion

Historic Site

Lafayette Tour Marker, Staten Island, New

Staten Island, NY 10302

16.845437816547

Lafayette Tour Marker, Staten Island, New York (NY-120)

Historic Site

Early 20th century post card depicting the First Presbyterian Church in Morristown, NJ

Morristown Church

Morristown, NJ 07960

17.239387952233

First Presbyterian Church

Historic Site

Gardens & Grounds

Morristown Green

Morristown, NJ 07960

Where France committed to the cause of Independence

17.27102417889

Morristown Green

Historic Site

Arnold's Tavern

Morristown, NJ 07960

Washington's HQ for the first Morristown encampment

17.340811305087

Arnold's Tavern

National Park

Fort/Outpost

Fort Nonsense

Morristown, NJ 07960

17.556183261748

Fort Nonsense

State/County Park

Historic House

Original outbuilding of Lord Stirling's Manor in New Jersey

Lord Stirling's Manor Site

Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

Private estate of Lord Stirling

18.602362404671

Lord Stirling's Manor Site

National Park

Historic Site

Morristown

Morristown, NJ 07960

Site of two Continental winter encampments

19.606957910024

Morristown

National Park

Historic Site

Jockey Hollow

Morristown, NJ 07960

20.368656089169

Jockey Hollow

State/County Park

Battlefield

Paulus Hook

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Patriot morale is restored in New Jersey

23.004228885893

Paulus Hook

Historic Site

Historic House

Governor's Mansion

Perth Amboy, NJ 08861

Mansion of Benjamin Franklin's Loyalist son, William

23.337145055762

Royal Governor's Mansion

State/County Park

Historic House

Dey Mansion

Wayne, NJ 07470

Washington's HQ before the winter camp at Morristown

23.937097451605

Dey Mansion

Historic Site

Fort Wadsworth

Staten Island, NY 10305

Historic Fort under British Occupation 1776-1783

24.3735335383

Fort Wadsworth

Historic Site

Historic House

Staats House

South Bound Brook, NJ 08880

Von Steuben's Middlebrook HQ that hosted Washington

25.102802620656

Staats House

Historic Site

Abraham Staats House

South Bound Brook, NJ 08880

25.102802620656

Abraham Staats House

Historic Site

Museum

Fraunces Tavern Museum

New York, NY 10004

Visit New York's Revolutionary past

25.209266541416

Fraunces Tavern Museum

National Park

Historic Site

Federal Hall

New York, NY 10005

Site where Washington took the first oath of office

25.285398896557

Federal Hall | National Memorial New York

Historic Site

Historic House

Cornelius Low House

Piscataway, NJ 08854

25.515747670408

Cornelius Low House

Historic Site

Buccleuch Mansion

New Brunswick, NJ 08901

25.932383483587

Buccleuch Mansion

State/County Park

Historic Site

East Jersey Old Town Village

Piscataway, NJ 08854

26.04379622335

East Jersey Old Town Village

Historic Site

Four Chimneys Marker

Brooklyn, NY 11201

26.393565824343

Four Chimneys Marker

Historic Site

Museum

Center for Brooklyn History

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Part of the Brooklyn Library with Rev War Resources

26.855063509465

Center for Brooklyn History

Historic Site

Battlefield

The Green-Wood Cemetery

Brooklyn, NY 11232

27.255615444653

The Green-Wood Cemetery

Historic Site

Historic House

Old Stone House

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Explore Revolution Brooklyn from 1776 - 1783

27.775316279874

Old Stone House

Historic Site

Fort/Outpost

Painting of Henry Knox's Pluckemin Cantonment in New Jersey

Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment

Bedminister, NJ 07921

28.469155958953

Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment

Historic Site

State/County Park

Van Veghten House

Bridgewater, NJ 08807

Greene's Headquarters at Middlebrook

29.021970859373

Van Veghten House

Historic Site

Historic House

Jacobus Vanderveer House

Bedminister, NJ 07921

29.427470299339

Jacobus Vanderveer House

Historic Site

Museum

Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn, NY 11238

Museum in Brooklyn with Rev War collections

29.549768887117

Brooklyn Museum

Historic Site

Historic House

Wallace House

Somerville, NJ 08876

Washington's HQ at the Middlebrook encampment

30.632568092561

Wallace House

Historic Site

Old Dutch Parsonage

Somerville, NJ 08876

30.644193163641

Old Dutch Parsonage

Battlefield

Harlem Heights

New York, NY 10027

Confident British forces are checked in battle

31.236591784719

Harlem Heights