General Cornwallis in Hillsborough

The final entry in our series of three often-overlooked maps of the Revolutionary War period is also
from 1777. Like other British maps from this period it shows the disposition of troops in Somerset
County in June of that year. This particular map concentrates on the area right around the current Boro
of Millstone, known then as Somerset Courthouse. It’s a straightforward map with a vital piece of
information hiding in plain sight.

“General Cornwallis in Hillsborough”

Captain Johann von Ewald was a Hessian officer during the American Revolution. He kept a diary during
that time, which included many maps. This one depicts the British fortifications around the village of
Somerset Courthouse in 1777. Today, we know this village as Millstone. On the map, it is labeled
Hillsborough - a name that had only been in use since 1771.

The Millstone River flows south to north from the left to the right side of the map. The rectangular
boxes with the triangles depict the positions of the British and Hessian units. Other colored shapes
represent notable buildings. The vertical stream in the center of the map is Peace Brook. To the left of
that, also trailing away to the west is Amwell Road. Ewald notes the location of his own unit just to the
right of the leftmost stream.

But there is an even more important notation.

Just to the right (north) of Peace Brook are three words written vertically. They are difficult to read on
copies of the map currently circulating on the internet, but not so hard that we can’t make out the first
two as “Lord Cornwallis.” Those with access to a better copy indicate the third word is “Headquarters”
(or an abbreviation of such). There is also a depiction of a flag. This was the location of the
Frelinghuysen family homestead, whose house was one of the grandest in Millstone at that time, and
would have been a prime candidate for the general’s headquarters.

This is not the only evidence that General Cornwallis made his headquarters in Hillsborough in June
1777. A June 14, 1777 letter from American Major John Andre describes Cornwallis as making his camp
on the “Western bank” of the Millstone, i.e., Hillsborough. Thirdly, Robert Erskine’s 1779 map of the
area indicates General Howe’s 1777 headquarters in Franklin Township, but does not show Cornwallis.
It has long been asserted that Lord Cornwallis made his headquarters in June 1777 in Franklin Township
at the Franklin Inn on Amwell Road. Although there is no doubt that the British made use of the Inn
during their occupation of the area that year, all evidence points to a Hillsborough address for the British
general.

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Gregory Gillette has been writing about local history for 20 years, starting with his Courier News column
“Gillette on Hillsborough” and continuing today with a Facebook page of the same name. A recipient of
the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission History Award for Education/Leadership in
2018, he was named as Hillsborough’s first Local Historian in 2025.