2018 Retreat Weekend at Fort Lee Historic Park
Relive history at Retreat Weekend at Fort Lee Historic Park on November 7-18, 2018 at Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee, New Jersey. This two day event is a commemoration of the 1776 British invasion of New Jersey and the beginning of the Continenttal Army’s strategic “Retreat to Victory” is held each year at Fort Lee Historic Park on the weekend closest to the historic date of November 20. It includes reenactments of eighteenth-century life and weapon and battle demonstrations.
Retreat Weekend at Fort Lee Historic Park
The march (retreat) begins at the site of Washington’s encampment in what is now Fort Lee Historic Park and travels to Main Street and Monument Park. Reenactors from the Brigade of the American Revolution hold a musket demonstration and gun salute followed by a hot cider and donut reception for both reenactors and the public at the adjacent Fort Lee Museum.
Revolutionary Encampment at Fort Lee
Members from over a dozen Living History groups will commemorate the Anniversary of the British Invasion of New Jersey at Fort Lee Historic Park. Re-enactors representing Continentals, Militia, British, Hessian and Loyalist troops will take part in different field and camp activities throughout the weekend. After the march, visitors can visit reenactors living at the restored 18th-century encampment, complete with huts and other relics of the colonial era, in Fort Lee Historic Park during Retreat Weekend.
Admission: Free (Parking $5.00)
Retreat Weekend Schedule
Saturday
Hours 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m. Camp Open to the Public
11:45 a.m. Parade to Monument Park
1:30 p.m. Music & Infantry Demonstrations
2:00 p.m. Artillery Demonstration
3:00 p.m. Tactical of the Blockhouse
5:00 p.m. Site Closed
Sunday
Metered parking.
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Artillery Demonstration*
*weather permitting
Location:
Fort Lee Historic Park
Hudson Terrace
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
201-461-1776
The entrance to Fort Lee Historic Park is on Hudson Terrace immediately south of the George Washington Bridge.
The Fort Lee Historic Park Retreat to Victory commemorates the retreat Washington made across New Jersey in summer/fall 1776. It was north of here around Closter that the British and Hessians crossed the Hudson river and began to head towards patriot positions in force. After being alerted by the Closter rider, the Americans began their retreat from Fort Lee eventually all the way across New Jersey to the Delaware River before Christmas.
The area has been preserved and rebuilt, and while not to revolutionary war specifications it does give the public and reenactor alike a sense of the fortifications built there. The day is climaxed with the B.A.R. general salute and marching to the monument where refreshments are served to reenactors after a massive Brigade volley is fired.
For More Information: Contact the Fort Lee Historical Society at (201) 693-2763, email flhp@njpalisades.org or visit the website.
About Fort Lee Historic Park
Fort Lee Historic Park, venue of the annual Retreat Weekend at Fort Lee Historic Park in November, is a 33-acre cliff-top park area with scenic overlooks, a reconstructed Revolutionary War encampment, and a Visitor Center. The entrance to Fort Lee Historic Park is on Hudson Terrace immediately south of the George Washington Bridge. The park is the starting point of the annual Fort Lee Historic Park Retreat to Victory that, held in November, that commemorates the retreat Washington made across New Jersey in summer/fall 1776.
Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss the next Retreat Weekend at Fort Lee Historic Park on the weekend closest to November 20 at Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Tags: Retreat Weekend at Fort Lee Historic Park, Fort Lees Washingtons Retreat to Victory, Washingtons Retreat to Victory