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Turning the Tide: The Legacy of Princeton Battlefield

New Jersey earned its nickname, “The Crossroads of the American Revolution,” through blood and gunpowder. While the crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton often get the most attention in history books, the subsequent Battle of Princeton was arguably just as vital.

Located in Mercer County, New Jersey, the Princeton Battlefield State Park preserves the site where George Washington secured the victory that convinced the American people the war could actually be won.

The Ten Crucial Days

To understand Princeton, you have to look at the calendar. Following the surprise victory at Trenton on December 26, 1776, Washington found himself trapped. The British army was descending upon him.

• The Night March: On the night of January 2, 1777, Washington executed a daring escape. Leaving his campfires burning to fool the British into thinking his army was sleeping, he marched his troops quietly around the British flank in the dark.
• The Encounter: On the morning of January 3, 1777, near Princeton, the Americans unexpectedly ran into a British brigade commanded by Lt. Col. Charles Mawhood.

The Death of General Mercer

The fighting took place in an orchard and was brutal and chaotic. General Hugh Mercer, a close friend of Washington, led the American vanguard. During the clash, his horse was shot from under him. Mistaking the well-dressed Mercer for Washington, British soldiers surrounded him and demanded his surrender. Mercer refused, drawing his sword. He was beaten and stabbed with bayonets seven times.

Washington, seeing his line breaking, famously rode into the crossfire, rallied his troops, and drove the British back toward the college (now Princeton University).

• The Aftermath: The British took refuge in Nassau Hall. Alexander Hamilton, commanding an artillery battery, fired upon the building, forcing their surrender.

The Thomas Clarke House

The wounded General Mercer did not die on the field. He was carried to the nearby farmhouse of Thomas Clarke.

Clarke was a Quaker farmer who had purchased the 200 acres in 1772. He built the Georgian-style home that still stands today.

• The Field Hospital: On the day of the battle, the Clarke house transformed from a quiet Quaker home into a bloody field hospital.
• The End of a Hero: General Mercer lingered in the house for nine days, tended to by Benjamin Rush (a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and Washington’s own nephew, Major George Lewis, before succumbing to his wounds.

The house remained in the Clarke family until 1863. In 1946, the State of New Jersey purchased the property to preserve it as a museum.

The Legend of the Mercer Oak

For three centuries, a massive white oak tree stood sentinel over the battlefield. Known as the Mercer Oak, legend held that the wounded General rested against its trunk while refusing to abandon his troops.

While the story is likely a myth (he was severely wounded and likely carried immediately), the tree became the symbol of Mercer County.

• The End of an Era: On March 3, 2000, strong winds tore the final branches from the ancient tree. Due to rot and safety concerns, the trunk was removed shortly after.
• The Rebirth: The story didn’t end there. Acorns had been collected from the tree prior to its death. In May 2000, a sapling grown from the original Mercer Oak was planted on the exact spot where the parent tree stood. Today, that “son of the oak” grows tall, continuing the legacy.

If You Visit

Princeton Battlefield State Park is a peaceful place today, consisting of the field, the Clarke House, and the Ionic Colonnade (a memorial designed by Thomas U. Walter, architect of the U.S. Capitol dome).

• Location: 500 Mercer Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.
• The Museum: The Thomas Clarke House is open for tours, featuring period furniture and exhibits on the battle.
• The Reenactment: Every January, the Princeton Battlefield Society hosts a full-scale reenactment of the battle, featuring British and Continental drills and musket fire.

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For More Information

The Princeton Battlefield Society (www.pbs1777.org)