3 January 1777 A.D. GEN George Washington
Defeats (British) GEN Lord Charles Cornwallis at Princeton, NJ: Washington’s Last Winter Action
1777 – General George Washington defeats the British led by British General Lord
Charles Cornwallis, at Princeton, New Jersey. On the night of January 2,
George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, repulsed a
British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek in Trenton. That night, he
evacuated his position, circled around General Lord Cornwallis’ army, and went
to attack the British garrison at Princeton. Brigadier General Hugh Mercer of
the Continental Army, clashed with two regiments under the command of
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood of the British Army. Mercer and his troops
were overrun and Washington sent some militia under Brigadier General John
Cadwalader to help him. The militia, on seeing the flight of Mercer’s men, also
began to flee. Washington rode up with reinforcements and rallied the fleeing
militia. He then led the attack on Mawhood’s troops, driving them back. Mawhood
gave the order to retreat and most of the troops tried to flee to Cornwallis in
Trenton. In Princeton itself, Brigadier General John Sullivan encouraged some
British troops who had taken refuge in Nassau Hall to surrender, ending the
battle. After the battle, Washington moved his army to Morristown, and with
their third defeat in 10 days, the British evacuated southern New Jersey. With
the victory at Princeton, morale rose in the ranks and more men began to enlist
in the army. The battle (while considered minor by British standards) was the
last major action of Washington’s winter New Jersey campaign.
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