Princeton

Following the surprise success of General Washington’s attack at Trenton British General Howe sent a large force to deal with Washington once and for all. However, Washington was on the move himself slipping by the British converging forces by marching …

1777-01-03

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Following the surprise success of General Washington’s attack at Trenton British General Howe sent a large force to deal with Washington once and for all. However, Washington was on the move himself slipping by the British converging forces by marching on Princeton using parallel roads of which the British were unaware. By dawn on January 3, 1777, Washington's army was just 2 miles from the British supply camp at Princeton. Washington sent General Mercer to burn the bridge over Stony Brook to delay or prevent the British army at Trenton from coming back to assist at Princeton. General Mercer ran into a column of 800 British soldiers under Lt. Col. Mawhood that were on the road south to join the British attack on Trenton. Mawhood quickly deployed and attacked Mercers column, fatally wounding Mercer in the action. General Washington, seeing Mercers men routing sent in reinforcements. The American reinforcements took one volley and they too began to retreat. Seeing this, Washington personally rallied the men and led them back in an attack on Mawhood. In fierce fighting the Americans won the field.

Princeton, New Jersey

The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood in Princeton. Following a surprise attack at Trenton early in the morning of December 26, 1776, General George Washington of the Continental Army decided to attack the British in New Jersey before entering the winter quarters. On December 30, he crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey. His troops followed on January 3, 1777. Washington advanced to Princeton by a back road, where he pushed back a smaller British force but had to retreat before Cornwallis arrived with reinforcements. The battles of Trenton and Princeton were a boost to the morale of the patriot cause, leading many recruits to join the Continental Army in the spring.

Wikipedia: Battle of Princeton

Continental Army

Great Britain