The Battle of Princeton

Princeton, NJ

The Battle of Princeton by James Peale (Mount Vernon)

Introduction

Visiting Revolutionary War battlefields in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey, one comes to appreciate the grand scope of the conflict. Like the Russians, the Americans were able to use the vastness of the country to great advantage. It also becomes apparent how important Washington’s role was in the birth of the country.

Unlike Boston, New York and Trenton, and more similarly to Lexington and Concord, the battlefield at Princeton does not seem to have changed much in a quarter of a millennium. The National Park Service has ensured that a McDonald’s hasn’t been put up in its place.

The Princeton Battlefield (author’s photo)

The Battle

The Battle of Princeton took place on January 3, 1777. Washington was undoubtedly driven by confidence from his victory at Trenton. It was his first battlefield triumph since the siege of Boston in 1776. It was a classic meeting engagement the likes of which occurred at Lexington and Concord. Princeton marked the second time that Washington and Cornwallis shared the field. As before, Greene was Washington’s right arm. Cornwallis relied on Colonel Mahwood to destroy the Continental Army.

General George Washington commanded the Continental Army at Princeton (photo courtesy of American Battlefield Trust)

General Charles Cornwallis commanded the heavily outnumbered British forces at the Battle of Princeton (photo courtesy of the American Battlefield Trust)

Battlefield map (photog’s photo)

The Americans brought 4,500 men to the field; the British brought 1,200. The total engaged were 5,700. Although large for the time, the numbers were much smaller than those later encountered in the Napoleonic Wars or the American Civil War.

Battlefield map 2 (photog’s photo)

The British put up quite a fight. Perhaps this was due to better training, including that with the bayonet.

Following failed occupations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as partial success in New York, the British decided to try their luck in the New Jersey colony (author’s photo)

Mother Earth provided both sides with natural protection from musket and cannon fire (author's photo)

Pennsylvanian’s of Moulder’s battery played an important part in preventing the British Regulars, although outnumbered, from taking the field. It would not be the last time Pennsylvania men would save an American army (photog’s photo)

Conclusion

The day ended with a British rout. American casualties were 75 while the British were 270. Neither the plaques at the battlefield or the Battlefield Trust website distinguish killed from wounded. Washington was able to capitalize on his victory at Trenton by another victory at Princeton. The engagement showed Philadelphia and London that the Continental Army was still in the fight. Like Gage before him, the loss undoubtedly increased Cornwallis’s respect for Washington as a capable commander.

Works Cited

Peale, James. The Battle of Princeton. 1782.