Loss of the Americans. Death of General Mercer. His Monument. Skirmish near Nassau Hall in Princeton. George Lewis, a nephew of Washington, and captain of the horse guards.' Dr. Benjamin Rush was also with him until he died." The loss of the Americans in this engagement was about thirty, among whom, besides General Mercer, were Colonels Haslet and Potter, Major Morris, Captains Shippen, Fleming, and Neal, all officers of much promise. The loss of General Mercer was irreparable. He had been a companion in arms with Washington in the campaign against the French and Indians in 1755, and was greatly beloved by all. Highly educated, patriotic, brave, and noted for strict integrity, he was regarded as one of the most promising of the general officers with whom the chief was associated. He fell at the moment of victory, for the next instant the shout of success from American lips greeted his ear. Among those of the enemy, mortally wounded, was Captain William Leslie, a son of the Scotch Earl of Levin, of whom mention is made in the note on page 332, vol. i. The broken and routed seventeenth regiment fled to the Trenton road, crossed the bridge, and hastened to join Cornwallis, who had been brought forward with great haste by the firing. Washington pushed on to Princeton, and in a ravine near the college encountered a sharp resistance from the fifty-fifth regiment. This corps was also routed, and fled toward Brunswick, accompanied by the fortieth, which took little part in the action. In the college buildings at Princeton (which, with the Presbyterian church, had been used for bar 1 Washington first heard that Mercer was killed on the battle-field, and it was not until he reached Somerset Court-house that he was apprised of the true situation of that officer. He immediately dispatched young Lewis, with a flag, to Cornwallis, requesting that every possible attention might be paid to the wounded general, and asking permission for Lewis to remain with him. Cornwallis cheerfully complied with the request. On the 14th of January, 1777, the body of General Mercer was conveyed to Philadelphia, and buried in Christ Church-yard. Over it was placed a plain marble slab, with the simple inscription, "In memory of Gen. HUGH MERCER, who fell at Princeton, Jan. 3d, 1777." There his dust reposed until 1840, when his countrymen of the St. Andrew's and the Thistle Society removed his remains to Laurel Hill Cemetery, and erected a beautiful marble monument to his memory, near the chapel. The funeral ceremonies took place on the 26th of November. WILLIAM B. REED, Esq., pronounced a eulogium on the occasion. The pall was borne by Commodores Read, Biddle, and Stewart, and Colonel Miller. The First Troop of City Cavalry, which took part in the battle of Princeton, composed the guard of honor. There are no survivors of the original corps. The monument was made by John Struthers and Son, Philadelphia, and bears the following inscriptions, which give the most important incidents of his public life. East side, or principal front: "Dedicated to the Memory of GENERAL HUGH MERCER, who fell for the Sacred Cause of Human Liberty, and American Independence, in the Battle of Princeton. He poured out his blood for a Generous Principle." West side: "GENERAL MERCER, a Physician of Fredericksburg, in Virginia, was distinguished for his skill and learning, his gentleness and decision, his refinement and humanity, his elevated honor, and his devotion to the great cause of Civil and Religious Liberty." North side: "GENERAL MERCER, a native of Scotland, was an assistant Surgeon in the Battle of Culloden, and the companion of WASHINGTON in the Indian Wars of 1755 and 1756. He received a Medal from the Corporation of Philadelphia, for his courage and conduct in the Expedition against the Indian Settlement of Kittaning."* South side: "The St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia offer this humble tribute to the memory of an illustrious BROTHER. When a grateful posterity shall bid the trophied memorial rise to the martyrs who sealed with their blood the charter of an Empire's liberties, there shall not be wanted a monument to him whom WASHINGTON mourned as the worthy and brave MERCER." General Mercer was about fifty-six years of age when he was slain. MONUMENT TO GENERAL MERCER. Dr. Mercer resided at Fredericksburg when the Revolution broke out. He espoused the cause, left his profession, conmanded three regiments of minute-men in 1775, and in 1776 drilled and organized large bodies of Virginia militia. On the 5th of June, 1776, Congress gave him the commission of a brigadier. Congress resolved (see Journals, iii., 98) that a monument should be erected to his memory at Fredericksburg, and that his youngest son should be educated at the expense of the Republic. The monument is yet to be erected. The son (Colonel Hugh Mercer, of Fredericksburg) was educated, and yet (1854) survives, at the age of about fourscore. Destruction of the King's Portrait in Nassau Hall. Prisoners taken. Skirmish at Worth's Mills. Cornwallis at Princeton. Washington drew up some The racks by the enemy) there remained a portion of a regiment. cannon within a short distance of these buildings, and commenced firing upon them. first ball, it is said, entered the prayer hall, a room used as a chapel, and passed through the head of a portrait of George the Second, suspended in a large frame upon the wall. After a few discharges, Captain James Moore, of the Princeton militia, with a few others of equal daring, burst open a door of Nassau Hall, and demanded the surrender of the troops within. They instantly complied, and, with several invalids, were made prisoners. NASSAU HALL, PRINCETON COLLEGE. At the close of the action at Clark's, where Mawhood, with the seventeenth, was routed, Washington detached a small party, under Major Kelley, of the Pennsylvania militia, to destroy the bridge over Stony Brook, at Worth's Mills. They had scarcely begun the work of destruction when the van of the British troops, advancing from Trenton upon Princeton, appeared upon the hill at Millett's. Cornwallis heard the firing in the direction of Princeton, and suspecting the object of his enemy to be the seizure of his stores at New Brunswick, he made a forced march in pursuit, and arrived near Stony Brook just after the first and decisive battle had been fought. When the British discovered the party engaged in demolishing the bridge, they opened upon them a discharge of heavy round-shot, which drove them away; not, however, until the loose planks were thrown into the stream, and the bridge was rendered impassable for the artillery and baggage. Delay was dangerous, perhaps fatal, and Cornwallis ordered the troops to dash into and ford the swollen stream.' It was almost breast-deep, and half filled with ice; yet the soldiers obeyed, and, in their mail of frozen clothes, hastened on toward Princeton. When near the town, the advanced guard was brought to a halt by the discharge of an iron thirty-two-pounder, which the enemy had left on a temporary breast-work at the west end of the village.' Cornwallis, apprehending that Washington had determined to make a stand at Princeton, halted his column, and sent out reconnoitering parties of horsemen. In the mean while, a large detachment approached the 1 Major Kelley continued cutting away a portion of the bridge while the balls of the enemy were menacing his life. He was cutting away a log on which some of the timbers rested, when it gave way sooner than was expected, and he was precipitated into the stream. His men, supposing him to be lost, fled to Princeton. He got out of the water; but his frozen clothes and exhaustion so retarded his progress, that he was made a prisoner by the enemy. 2 This cannon is now in the center of the Campus, in the rear of the College of New Jersey, at Princeton. It was one of the pieces which Washington was unable to carry away with him. This substantial stone bridge, over Stony Brook, is upon the site of the wooden one destroyed on the 3d of January, 1777. The old mill on the left is now owned by Josiah S. Worth, a son of the proprietor during the Revolution. This sketch was made from the road on the bank of the stream, along which Mercer and his detachment marched to secure the bridge. Disappointment of the Enemy. The Loss sustained. Washington's Pursuit. Fatigue of the Americans battery cautiously, intending to take it by storm. These movements delayed them an hour, and when they arrived at the breast-work and the village, great was their astonishment and chagrin to find both deserted, and not a rebel in sight! Washington, with his little army and prisoners, was far on his way toward the Millstone River, in hot pursuit of the fortieth and fifty-fifth regiments. The battle at Princeton and its results, following closely upon the brilliant affair at Trenton, produced a strong impression upon the public mind favorable to the commander-in-chief and the patriot cause. Considering the numbers engaged, it was one of the severest conflicts of the war, and in no engagement did the skill and bravery of both parties appear more conspicuously. The enemy lost about one hundred in killed, and three hundred in wounded and prisoners. The loss of the Americans was about one hundred, including severa' valuable officers. Never was a general more exposed to death than was Washington, when leading the troops to the support of Mercer's riflemen; yet he escaped without a wound.' Washington pursued the fugitive regiments as far as Kingston, beyond the Millstone River, three miles northeast of Princeton. There he held a council of war with his officers, on horseback. The rich prize at New Brunswick was very tempting, and a wish was generally expressed to continue the march thither and secure the British stores. Such a step would have been fatal; for Cornwallis, with fresh troops, and superior in numbers, was in close pursuit; while the Americans, who had fought at Trenton on the 2d, marched all night before the battle of Princeton on the 3d, and had not slept for thirty-six hours, were completely exhausted. More than half of them had not been able to procure breakfast or dinner; many were destitute of shoes or stockings, and in every way were utterly unable to contend with an enemy. To save his army, Washington filed off on the left, at Kingston, along a narrow road running to Rocky Hill. He destroyed the bridge at Kingston, which checked the progress of Cornwallis for some time, and, after having crossed the Millstone twice, he reached Pluckemin that evening. On the way, overcome by fatigue, many soldiers lay down and slept on the frozen ground. Washington remained no longer at Pluckemin than to give his troops rest and refreshments, and then advanced to Morristown, where he established his winter quarters. His subsequent movements, by which New Jersey was soon purged of the enemy, are mentioned on page 307, vol. i. Cornwallis repaired, and then crossed the bridge at Kingston, and, believing Washington to be on the road to New Brunswick, pushed eagerly forward-so eagerly, over the rough 1 Mr. Custis, in his Recollections of the Life and Character of Washington, gives a graphic picture of the scene when the commander-in-chief brought the militia and riflemen into action. "The discomfited Americans rally on the instant, and form into line. The enemy halt, and dress their line. The American chief is between the adverse posts, as though he had been placed there a target for both. The arms of both are leveled. Can escape from death be possible? Fitzgerald (Washington's aid), horror-struck at the death of his beloved commander, dropped the reins upon his horse's neck, and drew his hat over his face, that he might not see him die. A roar of musketry succeeds, and then a shout. It was the shout of victory. The aid-de-camp ventures to raise his eyes. Oh, glorious sight! the enemy are broken and flying; while dimly, amid the glimpses of the smoke, is seen the chief alive, unharmed, and without a wound, waving his hat, and cheering his comrades to the pursuit. Colonel Fitzgerald, celebrated as one of the finest horsemen in the American army, now dashed his rowels in his charger's flanks, and, heedless of the dead and dying in his way, flew to the side of the chief, exclaiming, Jehr Satgurals 'Thank God! your excellency is safe!' while the favorite aid, a gallant and warm-hearted son of Erin, a man of thews and sinews (and albeit unused to the melting mood), gave loose to his feelings, and wept like a child, for joy. Washington, ever calm amid scenes of the greatest excitement, affectionately grasped the hand of his aid and friend, and then ordered, 'Away, my dear colonel, and bring up the troops; the day is our own !' "' Capture of British Baggage-wagons. Evacuation of New Jersey by the British. Estimate of Washington's Character in Europe. and frozen roads, that several of his baggage-wagons were broken down. Leaving them in charge of a detachment of between two and three hundred men,' he pressed onward, and reached New Brunswick at sunset. Again the Americans had eluded his pursuit; yet he rejoiced in the safety of his stores. The armed parties frequently sent out by Washington from his hill-quarters were generally successful, and the people, incensed at the bad faith of the English and the depredations of the Hessians, joined the Americans in all their expeditions. The British quarters were straitened, their supplies were cut off, and in a short time New Jersey was evacuated by the enemy. Alluding to these results, the eloquent Charles Botta observes, "Achievements so stirring gained for the American commander a very great reputation, and were regarded with wonder by all nations, as well as by the Americans. The prudence, constancy, and noble intrepidity of Washington was admired and applauded by all. By unanimous consent he was declared to be the savior of his country; all proclaimed him equal to the most renowned commanders of antiquity, and especially distinguished him by the name of the AMERICAN FABIUS. His name was in the mouths of all; he was celebrated by the pens of the most distinguished writers. The most illustrious personages of Europe lavished upon him their praises and their congratulations. The American general, therefore, wanted neither a cause full of grandeur to defend, nor occasion for the acquisition of glory, nor genius to avail himself of it, nor the renown due to his triumphs, nor an entire generation of men perfectly well disposed to render him homage." Washington exercised the dictatorial powers which Congress had conferred upon him with energy and great circumspection, and with a single eye to the good of his country. His recommendations were promptly seconded by Congress, and soon great vitality was visible every where. He took care to provide for meritorious officers in his appointments, when organizing the sixteen battalions authorized by Congress. At that time public clamor was strong against Dr. Morgan, the successor of the traitor, Church, as head of the medical de 1 A small company of fifteen or twenty militia, having learned the situation of this baggage, resolved to capture it. After dark, they arranged themselves among the trees, in a semicircular form, around the place where the soldiers were guarding their wagons, and, on a concerted signal, they set up a tremendous shout, and commenced firing. The British, believing the assailants to be as strong in numbers as themselves, and taken completely by surprise, retreated with a few of the wagons that were fit for traveling, and fled to New Brunswick. Those left behind were taken to the American camp, and found to contain, what the army greatly needed, woolen clothes. * It is said that Frederic the Great of Prussia declared that the achievements of Washington and his little band of compatriots, between the 25th of December and the 4th of January, were the most brilliant of any recorded in the annals of military achievements. John Morgan 3 Morgan afterward procured an inquiry into his conduct by a committee of Congress, and was honorably acquitted. Doctor JOHN MORGAN was born in Philadelphia in 1735. He completed his medical studies under Dr. Redman, and entered the army as surgeon and lieutenant during the French and Indian war He went to Europe, to prosecute his studies, in 1760, where he attended the lectures of the celebrated Hunter. He was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1764. He returned to Philadelphia in 1765, and was elected professor of the theory and practice of medicine in the medical school founded by Dr. Shippen and others. He was ever active in literary and scientific projects. He was appointed by Congress director general and physician-in-chief to the general hospital in 1775, in place of Dr. Church, and immediately repaired to head-quarters at Cambridge. He was removed from office, without just cause, in 1777.* He died October 15, 1789, aged about fifty-four years. Dr. Benjamin Rush was his successor in the professor's chair. * The following are the names of the principal officers in the medical department, appointed on the 11th of April, 1777: Willtam Shippen, Jun., director general; Walter Jones, physician general of the hospital in the middle department; Benjamin Rush, surgeon general of the hospital in the middle department; John Cochran, physician and surgeon general of the army in the middle department; Isaac Forster, deputy director general of the hospital in the eastern department; Amini Ruhannah Cutter, physician general of the hospital in the eastern department; Philip Turner, surgeon general of the same; William Burnet, phy. sician and surgeon general of the army in the eastern department; Jonathan Pous, deputy director general of the hospital in the northern department; Malachi Treat, physician general of the same; Dr. Forque, surgeon general of the same; John Bartlett, physician and surgeon general of the army in the northern department. Appointment of general Officers for the Continental Army. Its Reorganization. Visit to the Princeton Battle-ground partment, and he was dismissed by Congress, and Dr. Shippen,' of Philadelphia, was appointed in his place, with Dr. Craik' as his assistant. January 9 1777. 1777. On the 19th of February, Stirling, St. Clair, Lincoln, Mifflin, and Stephen were commissioned as major generals; while Arnold, on account of his conduct at Montreal, where he obeyed the injunction "put money in thy purse," at the expense of honor and honesty, was overlooked. This soured him, and doubtless planted the first noxious seed of treason in his heart. During the spring, eighteen new brigadiers' were commissioned. Four regiments of horse were enlisted, under Colonels Bland, Baylor, Sheldon, and Moylan. Cadwalader and Reed were both, in turn, offered the general command of the horse, but declined. Timothy Pickering was appointed adjutant general in the place of Joseph Reed, who had resigned. Mifflin remained at the head of the quarter-master's department, which was regulated, and more thoroughly organized by the appointment of subalterns. Congress attempted to reorganize the commissary department, and claimed the right to make subordinate appointments. So much did this new arrangement interfere with the efficiency of the department, that Joseph Trumbull, Jun., commissary general, resigned. The meddling of Congress with the smaller appointments and the minute affairs of chief officers in the various departments of the army, was very mischievous in effect; for the personal friends of members of that body, often incompetent, were appointed to places requiring talent, energy, and honesty. On the whole, however, the army was upon a better footing in the spring of 1777 than it had ever been. December 12, 1849. I visited Princeton and the battle-grounds subsequently to my tarry at Trenton when on my way south. It was a very cold evening in December when I arrived there from Philadelphia, the snow about ten inches deep upon the ground. Early the next morning, in company with Colonel Cumming of Princeton, who kindly offered to accompany me, I rode first to the battle-ground and Clark's house, where General Mercer died, and made the sketch on page 29. The air was very keen, and the snow half knee-deep, circumstances which were quite unfavorable to deliberate sketching in the open fields. I persevered, however, and was successful in delineating such objects as I desired. From Clark's house we crossed the fields to the Quaker meeting-house, and then rode to the bridge at Worth's Mills, where I made the sketch on page 31. Returning to Princeton on the old Trenton road, we met Mr. Worth, an aged man, and present proprietor of 1 WILLIAM SHIPPEN was a graduate of the College of New Jersey, at Princeton, in the class of 1754. He completed his medical education at Edinburgh. He delivered the first lectures on anatomy ever pronounced in America, at Philadelphia, in 1764; and on the finishing of the medical school in that city, he was appointed its first professor of anatomy, in 1765. He first addressed ten students ;* he lived to address two hundred and fifty at one time. He was appointed director general of the medical department on the 11th of April, 1777. He resigned his professorship in the medical college, in 1806, into the hands of his colleague, Dr. Wistar. Dr. Shippen died at Germantown, July the 11th, 1808, aged seventy-four years. 9 JAMES CRAIK was a native of Scotland. He accompanied Washington in the expedition against the French and Indians in 1754; and in 1755 was with Braddock, and assisted in dressing his wounds. He was director general of the hospital at the siege of Yorktown, in 1781. After the war, Washington invited him to settle near Mount Vernon, and he was the physician of the patriot chief until his death. He died in Fairfax county, Virginia, February 6, 1814, aged eighty-three years. 3 These were Poor, of New Hampshire; Glover, Paterson, and Learned, of Massachusetts; Varnum, of Rhode Island; Jedediah Huntington, of Connecticut; George Clinton, of New York; Wayne, De Haas, Cadwalader, Hand, and Reed, of Pennsylvania; Weeden, Muhlenburg, Woodford, and Scott, of Virginia; Nash, of North Carolina; and Conway, an Irishman by birth, but a Frenchman by education. * Dr. Shippen experienced a great deal of persecution when he first commenced his lectures on anatomy, a good deal of feeling against him having been excited by the utterance of horrid tales respecting his dissections. The public mind was filled with ideas such as made the burden of the Ghost's Complaint: "The body-snatchers! they have come And made a snatch at me; It's very hard them kind of men Won't let a body be! Don't go to weep upon my grave, And think that there I be; |