In November 1776, General George Washington's Continental Army was in retreat and peril after suffering major defeats. On the run from pursuing British forces, they arrived in Newark on November 22nd and camped for 5 critical days in the area now known as Military Park.

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This marked Washington's darkest hour, prompting Thomas Paine to write that these were “the times that try men's souls.” The ragged troops used Newark as a respite, regrouping here before continuing their retreat across New Jersey, reaching Trenton on December 2nd.

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But Washington would soon take bold action that changed everything. Just weeks later, he led his revived troops back across the Delaware to win two improbable victories at Trenton and Princeton, effectively changing the tide of the war.

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At one of their most desperate moments, Washington’s forces found a refuge in Newark to gather strength before the heroic wins that salvaged the revolution in that fateful winter.

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Our 7-foot tall nutcracker soldiers are outfitted in fanciful recreations of the uniforms worn by the New Jersey Regiment, famously knownknown as the "Jersey Blues." The dress military uniform commonly consisted of a regimental coat (blue), westcoat (red), cotton shirt, canvas pants, leather leg straps, officer’s sash, tricorn hat, silk stock for neck, and shoes with buckles. The waist belt will held a sword and scabbard.

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