Painting by Connecticut Artist, David R. Wagner

In the summer of 1781, George Washington ordered the construction of bread ovens here in Chatham as part of a strategic ruse. The ovens were meant to signal that Continental troops were preparing to remain in the area for an attack on New York.

Instead, while the bread baked overnight, Washington quietly marched his troops out of town under cover of darkness—gaining a crucial advantage that led to the victory at Yorktown and, ultimately, the beginning of the end of the Revolutionary War. Today, you can read about this clever maneuver at the kiosk in Shepard Kollock Park.