Battle of Princeton
| date | January 3, 1777 |
|---|---|
| place | Princeton, New Jersey |
| output | American victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 6,000, of which only 1,800 were involved | 7,000 |
| losses | |
|
86 |
more than 40 |
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Northern Campaign
In the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777 during the American Revolutionary War , British and Hessian troops under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood in Princeton (New Jersey) were defeated by American troops of the Continental Army under General George Washington after a surprise attack.
After the victory in Trenton early in the morning of December 26th, General Washington decided to attack the British in New Jersey before returning with his troops to their winter quarters. On December 30th, he crossed the Delaware River back to New Jersey.
Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis left three regiments of the Fourth Brigade of 1,400 men as cover under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mawhood at Princeton when he marched 6,000 men from Princeton to Trenton on January 2, 1777 on the orders of General William Howe to take part in a counterattack .
Because of its mobility, Washington was able to evade British attacks and delay the clashes. 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 who wanted to take the bridge. When it got dark, Cornwallis decided to postpone the decisive battle until the next day because his troops were tired, and the next day he would "put the fox in the sack", as he said. Concerns of his officers, who knew Washington's ability to withdraw quickly, were ignored.
Washington left some men to keep the bonfires burning and to make some noise, and set out with his troops. On frozen roads that allowed the cannons to be transported, he bypassed the British south towards Princeton.
On January 3, there were several skirmishes in Princeton, whereby Washington managed to fight only part of the British troops at a time. The 7,000 Americans faced only 1,800 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 in Trenton and Princeton raised the morale of American troops and encouraged 8,000 new recruits to join the Continental Army.
Web links
- http://www.generalatomic.com/AmericanHistory/battle_of_princeton.html Battle of Princeton (English)
- http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-princeton.htm Battle of Princeton (English)
Coordinates: 40 ° 19 ′ 40.4 " N , 74 ° 40 ′ 24.2" W.