The property, comprising some 200 acres, was sold to Elsie Hasbrouck of New Paltz, New York, and she in turn gave it to her son, Jonathan, who married Catherine (Tryntje) Dubois.

While Washington was headquartered in Newburgh the main bulk of the Continental Army was encamped nearby at the New Windsor Cantonment near what is today known as Vails Gate, a few miles to the southwest.

Washington strongly rejected Nicola's suggestion, as he was acutely aware of people's fears of an "American Cromwell," and had no desire to be a monarch.

Still, this is an important moment in history, as it reaffirms Washington's commitment to republicanism, and marks a rare occasion of a victorious general declining absolute power.

On August 7, 1782, Washington issued a general order which established the Badge of Military Merit, which could be awarded to enlisted men and non-commissioned officers for long and faithful service and for acts of heroism.

[12] Largely forgotten about for a century and a half, on 10 October 1927, Army Chief of Staff General Charles Pelot Summerall directed that a draft bill be sent to Congress "to revive the Badge of Military Merit".

The bill was withdrawn and action on the case ceased on 3 January 1928, but the office of the Adjutant General was instructed to file all materials collected for possible future use.

On 7 January 1931, Summerall's successor, General Douglas MacArthur, confidentially reopened work on a new design, involving the Washington Commission of Fine Arts.

Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist in the Office of the Quartermaster General, was named to redesign the newly revived medal, which became known as the Purple Heart.

Washington wrote of the display:[14] As the intention of drawing out the troops tomorrow is to compliment his Excellency the Count de Rochambeau; The troops as he passes them shall pay him the honors due the commander in chief... On this occasion the tallest men are to be in the front rank.A few days later, the French and American armies departed, and Washington resumed his residence at the Hasbrouck House.

Years later, in 1786, Chastellux would publish his personal diaries that he kept during his travels throughout the United States during the Revolution, in which he writes about Newburgh Headquarters in some detail.

In March 1783, feeling embittered over their lack of payment from Congress and secretly manipulated by a faction of nationalist politicians in Philadelphia (usually given as Robert Morris, Gouverneur Morris, and Alexander Hamilton), senior officers of the army encamped at the nearby New Windsor Cantonment anonymously authored and began circulating a letter that called for a meeting of all field officers and company representatives to decide what course of action the army should take against Congress.

The letter's author advocated for an ultimatum stating that if peace was declared and the officers were still unpaid, they would refuse to disband the army and possibly march against Congress.

Now known to be the work of Major John Armstrong, Jr., an aide-de-camp of General Horatio Gates, this letter inflamed tensions amongst the officers to dangerous new levels and began what is now known as the Newburgh Conspiracy.

After delivering the Newburgh Address and reading aloud a letter from Congressman Joseph Jones of Virginia, he was able to persuade his officers abandon the conspiracy and to instead remain loyal to Congress, to him, and to their republican principles.

[19] A month later, Washington delivered the Proclamation for the Cessation of Hostilities that announced the preliminary peace treaty with the United Kingdom, and ordering the army to officially stand down.

[22] In the summer of 1783, as peace with Great Britain in the wake of the cessation of hostilities is slowly taking shape, Washington penned an open letter in which he offered advice on the necessary requirements to achieve success as a new nation.

Titled "Circular Letter to the States", Washington began by extolling the advantages of their country, as due to its great size it would have an abundance of natural resources.

Even more important, he said, was that the country founded in the Age of Enlightenment, and so the principles of liberty, self-government, and equality would thrive as they embarked on the first experiment of republicanism in the modern era.

He believed that they held in their hands the responsibility for "unborn millions"; the world would be watching their great republican experiment, and if they succeeded, they would prove that monarchy was a system of the past.

Rather than identifying with their home state, he said they should simply view themselves as Americans, and that they should be willing “to sacrifice their individual advantages to the interest of the Community.”[24] Washington closed the letter by reminding the country of his qualifications to offer such advice, and expressed his desire to peacefully retire from public life.

Two of his daughters, Ann Eliza and Israela, opened a school within the house in 1833 to educate local women in the traditional English style.

[26] Over the next 60 years, many artifacts were donated to the site from across the world and across history; with no dedicated museum space or gallery, they were all displayed within the historic headquarters, thereby neglecting the story of the house itself.

The site covers an area of about seven acres (2.8 ha), with four buildings: the Hasbrouck House (headquarters), the 1910 museum, a monument named the "Tower of Victory" completed in 1887, and a maintenance shed/garage built in the Colonial Revival style in 1942.

It is meant to be a crude but imposing structure, reminiscent of the revolutionary times, that is surmounted by an accessible outlook which is open to the public through guided tours.

Galloway was a local Newburgh man who was killed in action at the Battle of Belleau Wood near Chateau-Thierry, France on June 6, 1918, and buried nearby.

[29] A member of the United States Army's 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division of the American Expeditionary Force, Galloway was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism in action" on July 9, 1918: after he was gravely wounded in battle he continued to direct the advance of his platoon in the face of heavy machine gun fire, before he was shot a second time and succumbed to his wounds.

Visitors must purchase tickets at the museum to view the galleries, the Headquarters house, and the Tower of Victory observation deck.

Museum galleries are self-guided, whereas access to the Headquarters and Tower of Victory observation deck are restricted solely to interpreter-guided tours.