Battle of Princeton – January 3, 1777

At year’s end in 1776, George Washington was motivated to strike again against British positions in New Jersey. He had surprised his opponents at Trenton on December 26 and in the following days hoped to build on that momentum. Washington also was acutely aware that the enlistment terms of many of his soldiers would expire at midnight on the 31st. On December 30, Washington again led his forces across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania into British-held territory in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, word of the American victory at Trenton reached Brigadier General William Howe, the British commander. He responded by canceling the leave planned for one of his most aggressive subordinates, Lord Charles Cornwallis, who was dispatched to the Delaware in search of Washington’s army; there Cornwallis would join General James Grant, who already had a small force in the area. Arriving in Princeton on January 1, Cornwallis left a rear guard of 1,200 men under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood and proceeded south toward Trenton with 5,500 soldiers. During this march, the British encountered resistance from American soldiers intent on slowing their progress. The Americans gradually fell back and in the late afternoon dug into a position along the banks of Assunpink Creek outside of Trenton, joining the main body of Washington’s army. Several British attempts to cross the creek were thwarted, but a confident Cornwallis believed that he had the Americans cornered and decided to wait until the next day “to bag the fox.”

During the night and into the early hours of January 3, Washington dealt another masterstroke. He left 400 men in the camp to stoke bonfires and make digging noises as if they were preparing earthwork defenses for the coming battle. In actuality, a mass evacuation was underway. The bulk of the force silently departed, made a wide arc around Cornwallis’s sleeping army and headed north toward Princeton. The movement of American cannon was silenced by wrapping the wheels in cloth, and both soldiers and artillery were aided during the night as the muddy roads froze.

Washington’s army marched over a back road toward Princeton and reached the Quaker Bridge over Stony Brook, about a mile and a half south of the town. The Quaker Bridge was not strong enough to support the army’s cannon and ammunition carts, so another bridge had to be hastily built. While it was being constructed, Washington divided his army into two groups: a large right wing under General John Sullivan, and a smaller left wing with 2,300 men under General Nathanael Greene. Washington had intended to attack Princeton before dawn, but the sun was rising.

Greene’s assignment was to advance to the Princeton-Trenton highway to block traffic there and destroy the highway bridge over Stony Brook. Sullivan’s division, the main attack force, moved toward the rear of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). The British were known to have outposts on the roads leading north, east, and west, so Sullivan took an abandoned road that went into town from the east.

Before Greene’s wing could reach the highway, its leading brigade, made up of 350 men under General Hugh Mercer of Virginia, met up with 800 men of the British 4th Brigade, armed with 2 light guns, under the overall command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood. The British group had been marching from Princeton to Trenton to reinforce General Leslie’s 2nd Brigade. The remaining unit of the 4th Brigade had been left to hold Princeton along with another 400 men.

At daybreak, Lieutenant Colonel Mawhood left a small force behind in Princeton and proceeded south to join Cornwallis. Along the road, he encountered American forces under Brigadier General Hugh Mercer, who had hoped to secure a bridge over Stony Creek and isolate Princeton. With any hope of surprise dashed, Mercer’s soldiers sought refuge in a nearby orchard. The British pursued with fixed bayonets and it appeared that a rout was imminent.

Upon sighting the American force, Mawhood formed up his men in a defensive position across the edge of an orchard, which Mercer’s troops were passing through. A violent firefight ensued, and Mawhood launched an assault which largely cleared the orchard of Mercer’s troops, who began to retreat in confusion. General Mercer was wounded but refused to surrender. When he tried to attack the enemy with his sword, he was bayoneted and presumed dead; he died of his wounds nine days later. Colonel John Haslet of Delaware replaced General Mercer and was killed by a shot to the head.

During the confusion, General Washington rode up to rally Mercer’s men, while a fresh brigade of 2,100 troops under General John Cadwalader arrived with an artillery battery. Washington then rode straight into the British fire, personally leading the attack. As Washington charged towards the British lines, he was heard yelling

“Parade with me my brave fellows, we will have them soon!”

In a remarkable display of courage and leadership, he headed directly toward the British lines, yelling at the soldiers to rally behind him. Surviving intense fire, Washington helped to turn the tide of battle and led his men in pursuit of the fleeing British, crying out, “It’s a fine fox hunt, boys!”

Legend has it that Washington was obscured by smoke, but when it cleared, he was still there.

With Cadwalader’s reinforcements and Washington’s successful rallying of Mercer’s men, the larger American force was able to attack the British flanks and retake most of the orchard, until fire from Mawhood’s guns halted the American advance.

A second British assault cleared the orchard, and seemed about to win the day until Sullivan led up another 1,300 troops. Now outnumbered nearly 6 to 1, Mawhood led a final charge to break through the American lines. A number of British soldiers broke through the Americans in a desperate bayonet charge, continuing down the road to Trenton. Washington led some of his force in pursuit of Mawhood, then abandoned the pursuit and turned around when some of Leslie’s 2nd Brigade troops were sighted. The remainder of the British force fell back to Princeton, where, along with the troops already present, they defended the town against Sullivan’s force before retreating to New Brunswick. A number of British troops left behind in Princeton, facing overwhelming numbers and artillery fire, surrendered. The British casualty list stated 86 killed and wounded, and 200 captured. The Americans suffered 40 killed and wounded.

Limited fighting occurred within Princeton itself. General John Sullivan and his men followed a small British force that sought refuge in Nassau Hall, the principal building of the College of New Jersey, later Princeton University. Sullivan trained his cannon on the building and, as legend has it, his second shot entered the building and decapitated a portrait of George II. The British soldiers promptly surrendered.

In Trenton, Cornwallis and his men awoke to the sounds of cannon fire coming from behind their position. Cornwallis and his army began to race towards Princeton. However, Washington’s rear guard had managed to damage the bridge over the Stony Brook, and American snipers further delayed Cornwallis’ advance. The exhausted American Army slipped away, marching to Somerset County Courthouse (now Millstone), where they spent the night.

When he was alerted at dawn that the Americans had decamped, it was assumed that they had retreated southward and, being penned against the Delaware River, would become easy targets. Later, messengers arrived with word of events in the north. A livid Cornwallis and his soldiers immediately set out on the road to Princeton, where they faced the unpleasant task of fording the frigid and swollen waters of Stony Creek; the Americans had burned the bridge as they departed.

Washington was faced with a crucial decision. The aggressive side of his character wanted to march directly on the British regional headquarters at New Brunswick, which held ₤70,000 in silver and a huge store of supplies. His more conservative side, however, realized that Cornwallis was in pursuit and that his own army was exhausted. The latter prevailed. He and the Continental Army headed for Morristown, arriving on January 5 and 6 to establish its winter quarters. Cornwallis retired to New Brunswick.

The Battle of Princeton resulted in 86 British casualties and around 200 soldiers captured; the Americans suffered 40 casualties, including Mercer’s death. Beyond those numbers, Washington’s bold action embodied other meanings:

On January 1, 1777 the British had been in control of New Jersey and were in a position to take the prize of Philadelphia, if they so chose. Several days later, the seat of the Continental Congress, recently deserted by the delegates, was safe and the British presence in New Jersey was confined to a small area in the northeastern corner of the state. This remarkable turnaround greatly increased American morale.

The experience of the twin victories helped Washington to grasp how to fight the war most effectively. The main body of the British armies was to be avoided; attacks were to be made on smaller forces in outlying areas, a strategy that made it difficult for the British to extend their control over broad expanses of territory.

The results of Trenton and Princeton were noted in France. Britain’s great international rival was not yet prepared to enter the war on the American side, but had been encouraged enough by the recent events to extend badly needed supplies to the rebels.

After the battle, Cornwallis abandoned many of his posts in New Jersey, and ordered his army to retreat to New Brunswick. The battle at Princeton cost the British some 276 men killed, wounded or captured and greatly boosted the morale of the Continental troops, leading 8,000 new recruits to join the Continental Army.

American historians often consider the Battle of Princeton a great victory, on par with the battle of Trenton, due to the subsequent loss of control of most of New Jersey by the Crown forces, as well as the important political implications of the battle across the Atlantic in France and Spain, both of which would expand their military aid to the Continental forces after the battle. Fredrick the Great is said to have pronounced Washington’s achievements in those few weeks “the most brilliant in military history”.

References
Fisher, David Hackett. Washington’s Crossing. Oxford University Press USA, 2004, 576 pages.
Ketchum, Richard. The Winter Soldiers: The Battles for Trenton and Princeton. Owl Books, 1999, 448 pages.
Elson, Henry William History of the United States of America . 1905
http://www.saveprincetonbattlefield.org/
http://www.doublegv.com/ggv/battles/Princeton.html
http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-princeton.htm
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1290.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Princeton

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