Tenafly Road is one of the most frequently traveled streets in our town, yet few residents notice a small, weathered sign tucked between Westervelt Road and Norman Place. Bent and smaller than a typical “No Parking” or “Stop” sign, it bears a striking red date: 1776. The full inscription reads, “Route of the 1776 British & Hessian INVASION.”
While Tenafly was not a major battlefield in the American Revolutionary War, this marker commemorates a moment when our town stood in the path of history. As the full inscription explains, the route was taken by British and Hessian troops during a critical phase of the war.
The Revolutionary War, which raged from 1775 to 1783, was a time of intense conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies. On November 16, 1776, the British and Hessian forces—who were German soldiers paid to fight as mercenaries—had already captured New York City, including Fort Washington, according to the Historical Marker Database. Just days later, on November 20, Lord Cornwallis led an invasion force of roughly 5,000 troops across the Hudson River using flatboats, landing at Huyler’s Landing, also known as Lower Closter Dock. This area is now part of Alpine.
Guided by local Loyalists, the troops, exactly on this month 249 years ago, ascended the steep Palisades and marched south along what is now Tenafly Road, according to the Historical Marker Database and the Revolutionary War New Jersey Website. They were on the way to Fort Lee, which is directly across the river from Fort Washington. Their goal was to capture Fort Lee and establish strategic posts across New Jersey before winter, according to Wikipedia’s New York and New Jersey Campaign page. The American forces at Fort Lee were warned in time and managed to retreat across the Hackensack River. However, Fort Lee itself fell into the hands of the British without any battle, and the event marked a troubling experience for the people in town.
One can only wonder what the patriotic townspeople of Tenafly at this time felt as they witnessed this overwhelming sight: disciplined lines of soldiers, the sounds of drums, and the echo of commands spoken in British English and German. With news spreading that Washington’s army had lost New York and northern New Jersey, the mood among locals was likely anxious and uncertain.
Of course, just a month later, in December 1776, the tides began to turn. On the day after Christmas, Washington famously led a surprise attack on the Hessian forces stationed in Trenton. This event was also captured in the painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware.”
The next time you drive or walk past that sign, take a moment to imagine what took place there nearly a quarter of a millennium ago. No matter how much you may struggle now, just like it was for the Tenafly patriots then, let’s hold onto hope for our own moment of triumph.
