Battle of Princeton
Battle of Princeton
Part of: AmericanWar of Independence
Battle of Princeton 1777. Painting by John Trumbull.
American War of IndependenceNorthern
Campaign
Lexington and Concord, Boston, Bunker Hill, Long Island, Kips Bay, Harlem Heights, Pell's Point, White Plains, Fort Washington, Trenton I, Trenton II, Princeton
At the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777, during the American War of Independence, British and Hessian troops under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood were defeated at Princeton, New Jersey, by American Continental Army troops under General George Washington after a surprise attack.
After the victory at Trenton early on the morning of December 26, General Washington decided to attack the British in New Jersey before returning with his troops to winter quarters. On December 30, he crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey.
Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis left three regiments of the Fourth Brigade with 1,400 men as rear guard under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mawhood at Princeton when he marched 6,000 men from Princeton to Trenton on January 2, 1777, under orders from General William Howe to participate in a counterattack.
Because of his mobility, Washington was able to evade British attacks and delay the fighting. He stationed his troops in an advantageous position on the south side in the Assunpink Gorge and was able to repel several advances by the British to take the bridge. As darkness fell, Cornwallis decided to postpone the decisive battle until the next day because his troops were tired so that they could "put the fox in the sack" the other day, as he put it. Concerns from his officers, who knew Washington's ability to retreat quickly, were thrown to the wind.
Washington left a few men behind to keep the campfires burning and make some noise, and set out with his troops. On frozen trails that permitted the transport of cannon, he skirted the British south toward Princeton.
On January 3, several engagements occurred at Princeton, with Washington managing to only ever have to fight with a portion of the British forces. The 7,000 Americans faced only 1,800 each of the 6,000 British and Hessians. 86 British (including Captain William Leslie) and more than 40 Americans (including General Hugh Mercer) were killed or wounded.
The victories at Trenton and Princeton boosted the morale of American troops and encouraged 8,000 new recruits to join the Continental Army.
