George Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, New York

This is part one of three blog posts about the historic sites at Newburgh/New Windsor, New York where my ancestor recieved the Badge of Merit from General George Washington. 

Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, New York

Last fall we visited Washington's Headquarters, a New York state park located on the banks of the Hudson River in Newburgh.  Washington was stationed here for more than 16 months at the end of the Revolutionary War.  Although it was not as famous as his winter headquarters at Valley Forge, it was his longest stay at any headquarters during the war. 

This stone house was built around 1725 and then owned by the Hasbrouck family.  The Continental Army was encamped nearby during the war at the New Windsor Cantonment.  Washington moved into the house on 1 April 1782 and left on 19 August 1783.  While he was in Newburgh he established the Badge of Military Merit, which was to be awarded to enlisted men for long and faithful service.  It was awarded to three men at Newburgh, all stationed nearby in New Windsor. The ceremony took place on the front lawn of the headquarters at Newburgh.  Then, with the war coming to a close, no more Badges of Military Merit were awarded by Washington. The program was abandoned until World War 1.  

It was during Washington's time at Newburgh, New York that the Newburgh Conspiracy occured.  In March some of the New Windsor Cantonment officers wrote an anonymous letter to take action against Congress.  They were angry about lack of pay, and threatened to disband the army. General Washington gave a speech known as the "Newburgh Address" to persude the officers to remain loyal to Congress and to him.   

The house was returned to the Hasbrouck family after Washington left.  The property remained in the family until 1848 when the owners defaulted on a mortgage payment and were forced to leave.  The house became the property of the state of New York, and later became a public historic site.  In 1910 a two story brick museum was added to the property, and the Hasbrouck house was decorated to reproduce how it looked during the Revolutionary War.   A monument "Tower of Victory" was built in 1887.  It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. 

Several years ago I was researching my ancestor, Abner Poland (1761 - 1835), who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.  His service with the 8th Massachusetts Regiment included the battles at Hubbardston, Stillwater, Monmouth, and Yorktown - a total of seven years and six months.  Abner Poland received the Badge of Merit on 13 June 1783 from George Washington at Newburgh.  The certificate granted to Abner Poland read:  "The above Corporal Poland has been honored with the Badge of Merit for seven years and six months faithful service.  M. Jackson Colonel". You can find the link below for my interesting blog post on this unique certificate, signed by George Washington. 

Years later, Sarah Burnham Poland, his widow, applied for a widow's pension on 1 February 1837, and received $88 per year, which began on 4 September 1837. Sarah lived until 1846.  Sarah and Abner are buried at the Oakgrove Cemetery behind the Community Church in Enfield, New Hampshire. 

The Tower of Victory by the Hudson River

Items on display at the Newburgh museum

The Badge of Merit certificate awarded to Abner Poland

at Newburgh, New York and signed by General George Washington

(click to enlarge)

For the truly curious:

Washington's Headquarters at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%27s_Headquarters_State_Historic_Site   

Washington's Headquarters, NY state park website:   https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/17/details.aspx  

For more information on Abner Poland, my 5th great grandfather, in blog posts:

Surname Saturday - POLAND of Essex County, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html   

George Washington Signed Here? A Mystery Document:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/10/amanuensis-monday-george-washington.html   

Tombstone Tuesday - Abner Poland, Enfield, New Hampshire:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/tombstone-tuesday-my-5th-great.html    

The National Archives - Good News/Bad News (my trip to NARA to see Washington's signature on Abner Poland's discharge):   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-good-news-bad-news.html  

The National Archives - They read my blog!?     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-they-read-my-blog.html   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "George Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, New York", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 18, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/george-washingtons-headquarters-at.html: accessed [access date]).