Battle of Princeton

A January 1777 battle in New Jersey in which George Washington’s Continental Army defeated British troops during the American Revolutionary War.

George Washington: The commander in chief of the Continental Army and first president of the United States. He redirected the army toward Princeton after evading British forces at Trenton.
New York and New Jersey campaign: A 1776–1777 American Revolutionary War campaign fought across New York and New Jersey. British advances during this campaign drove Washington’s army across New Jersey.
American Revolutionary War: A war from 1775 to 1783 in which thirteen British colonies won independence and formed the United States. The Princeton victory was an early turning point in the war’s New Jersey campaign.
Princeton Battlefield State Park: A New Jersey state park preserving land associated with the 1777 Battle of Princeton. Its preserved fields mark the ground where Washington’s forces fought Mawhood’s troops.
Hugh Mercer: A Continental Army brigadier general who died from wounds received at the Battle of Princeton. His brigade’s stand near the battlefield delayed British troops and helped Washington’s attack succeed.
Battle of Long Island: An August 1776 battle in which British forces defeated the Continental Army in New York. Its aftermath forced the American army to retreat from New York and shaped the campaign’s opening.
British evacuation of New Jersey: The withdrawal of British forces from much of New Jersey after the 1776–1777 campaign. After Princeton, Britain concentrated its New Jersey positions around New Brunswick and Perth Amboy.
Clarke House: A farmhouse near Princeton where Hugh Mercer was treated after being wounded in battle. Mercer’s final hours there became one of the battle’s most remembered episodes.
Charles Mawhood: A British lieutenant colonel who commanded troops at the Battle of Princeton. His force met Washington’s advance and withdrew after the fighting.
Battle of White Plains: An October 1776 battle in which British and American forces fought in Westchester County, New York. It formed part of the British campaign that pushed Washington southward.

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History of New JerseyBroader topic: It strengthened the revolutionary position in the state after Trenton.