George Washington’s Tent

An eyewitness to the encampment described Washington’s headquarters: “Opposite the camp, and on distinct eminences, stood the tents of some of the general officers, over which towered, predominant, that of General Washington.” Thirty soldiers from the 1st Connecticut Regiment set up Washington’s tent on this hill on August 29. They built a classically-inspired “booth,” or portico, made of tree branches to decorate the entrance of the tent. They also built an oven nearby. One Frenchman who witnessed the encampment noted that Washington “did not display the luxury of a monarchical general; every thing announced in him the hero of a republic.”