I am a big George Washington fan. He was a great leader and without his leadership, we would not have won independence and probably would have gone the route of Canada. But he was not a great general. He lost most of his battles and the two that saved the Revolution (Trenton and Princeton) involved a lot of luck and poor leadership on the other side. Princeton is a largely forgotten battle as it has been overshadowed by Trenton. But it is a fascinating battle because Washington foolishly put himself into a potentially disastrous situation and yet was able to extricate himself and win a nice little battle.
George Washington crossing the Delaware on Dec. 25, 1776 to attack Trenton was daring. Washington crossing again on Dec. 29 was insane. In spite of the British now being on the alert and seeking revenge, Washington decided to return to the scene of his Christmas victory. He camped at Trenton and sure enough Gen. Cornwallis came swooping down with an army of 8,000. His army was superior in numbers and quality, so victory in a pitched battle was almost guaranteed. Crushing Washington’s army would probably end the Revolution, but once again Washington was blessed with his opposition. Cornwallis arrived in the afternoon. Washington’s men disputed the bridge separating his army from the British and Cornwallis decided that it was getting late and he would get a good night’s sleep and finish the war tomorrow. The discovery of a ford that would put his army on Washington’s flank virtually assured victory. Washington foolishly decided to stand his ground as his glowing campfires and the noise of men digging fortifications proved. The next morning when the British attacked, they found an empty camp with the ashes of fires that had been kept up by a few men. Surprise! During the night, Washington had taken his army on a back road to Princeton. The wagon wheels had been covered with rags to muffle the sounds and the British were clueless about the 18-mile march.
Washington arrived at Princeton in the early morning. His army ran into a 1,000 redcoat force under Lt. Col. Mawhood that was marching to join Cornwallis. The battle opened with Mawhood’s men exchanging fire with a unit led by Washington’s friend Gen. Hugh Mercer. A British bayonet charge forced the Americans back. Mercer ended up surrounded. When he refused to surrender, he was stabbed numerous times. Apparently his uniform made the British think he was Washington. An advancing militia unit panicked and began to run when Washington rode up and rallied the men. Continental regulars came up in the nick of time and Washington led them forward to within 30 yards of the Brits. With Washington between the lines, volleys were exchanged. Washington’s aides held their breath as the powder smoke dissipated to reveal an unwounded commander-in-chief. With artillery flaying them, an American bayonet charge convinced the British this was not their day. Mawhood retreated back to Princeton and many of his men took refuge in Nassau Hall on the university campus. Alexander Hamilton brought up three cannons and opened fire. According to legend, one cannon ball hit the head of King George II in a portrait in the chapel. (The painting was replaced later by one of Washington.) The British surrendered soon after and Washington had another morale-boosting win that helped convince his men to stick with the cause. His insane crossing of the Delaware came up smelling like roses because a British general was in no hurry to keep the Colonies as part of the England.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Princeton
https://www.britishbattles.com/war-of-the-revolution-1775-to-1783/battle-of-princeton/
Mercer is being stabbed in the central foreground
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