Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the Battle of Princeton, the culmination of a week of daring action that literally saved the American Revolution—at least until its next crisis. The battle featured a daring night march by Washington's army—pinned and shivering between the Assunpink Creek and the frozen Delaware River, awaiting possible annihilation by General Cornwallis and 5,000 British and Hessians hell-bent on revenge for the first battle of Trenton.
Washington's men abandoned camp in the dark winter night. Tramping through frozen marshlands, they circled around the British, arriving several miles behind them and preparing to seize the British base at Princeton. Washington succeeded in one of the rare open-field engagements of the campaign, demonstrating decisiveness and personal bravery by leading his men across the snow-covered fields in a gallant charge. But the victory came at a great cost: two of his top generals fell that day. One of them was Hugh Mercer, the Scottish-born surgeon turned soldier.
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| Young Hugh Mercer |
Early Life: Scalpel, Claymore, and Tomahawk
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| Mercer fought with the clans at Culloden |
Mercer was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1725, and earned a medical degree from the university of that name in 1744. Apparently a lover of hopeless (not lost) causes, the young Mercer joined the Jacobite army under Prince Charles Edward, known as the Pretender, until that struggle for freedom was crushed by the Duke of Cumberland's redcoats at Culloden on April 16, 1746.
After a period in hiding, Mercer fled to America and settled in Pennsylvania, where he established his medical practice. At the outbreak of the French and Indian War in 1756, Mercer joined the colony's forces. Throughout the war, Pennsylvania's western region faced relentless Indian raids, encouraged by the French. Mercer began his service as part of Colonel John Armstrong's expedition against the Indians at Kittanning, where he was wounded.
In 1758, he served as a lieutenant colonel in the siege of Fort Duquesne and was later given command there to secure the West. Around that time, he befriended a colonel named George Washington, who commanded the Virginia Regiment, which performed similar duties protecting Virginia's western frontier.
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| The British capture of Fort Duquesne |
Colonial Life: Prosperity and Family
When the war ended in 1763, Mercer moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and reopened his medical practice. It makes one wonder if his connection with Washington influenced his decision to relocate to the Old Dominion. When Mercer arrived in Fredericksburg, it was a lively Scottish community.
Fellow Scot John Paul Jones's brother farmed nearby, and Jones himself hoped to settle there permanently. He became a well-known figure and businessman in town, purchasing land and engaging in local trade. His medical practice brought him into contact with many prominent Virginians, including George Washington's mother, Mary Ball Washington, who became one of his patients.
In Fredericksburg, Mercer married Isabella Gordon, started a family, and had five children. Later, he purchased George Washington's childhood home, Ferry Farm, with the hope of making it his permanent residence.
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| Mary Washington was a patient of Mercer's (seen here as a younger woman) |
Run up to War
Like many Virginians, Mercer supported the Patriot cause as the American Revolution approached. He joined the Fredericksburg Committee of Safety and, on April 25, was among the members of the Independent Company of Fredericksburg who wrote a letter to then-Colonel George Washington, expressing concern when the British removed gunpowder from the Williamsburg magazine. Because he was Scottish, the Virginia Convention skipped over him for command of the first Virginia regiments in 1775.
However, he was appointed commander of all the minuteman companies in the four counties around Fredericksburg. Early in 1776, Mercer's military experience led the provincial congress to appoint him as colonel (commander) of the 3rd Virginia Continental Line. Future President James Monroe and future Supreme Court Justice John Marshall served under him.
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| James Monroe served under Mercer |
From Surgeon to General
In June 1776, General George Washington, in urgent need of experienced commanders, persuaded the Continental Congress to appoint Mercer as a brigadier general. Mercer's experience and reputation led Washington to place him in command of the "Flying Camp' during the New York campaign. These were inexperienced militias requiring strong leadership and strategic training. The Flying Camp served as a special military reserve, but despite Mercer's efforts, it suffered from shortages of equipment and men and was disbanded by year's end. Mercer also oversaw the construction of Fort Lee, which overlooked the North River across from Fort Washington in Manhattan.
During the darkest days of the war, Mercer played a key role in Washington's night march on Trenton on December 26, 1776. He helped plan and execute the crossing and led his brigade into Trenton from the west—driving the Hessians out of the town and into an orchard, where they were almost annihilated. Mercer was also instrumental in repulsing the British during the second Battle of Trenton on January 2, 1777. The next day, Washington's army advanced on the British garrison at Princeton, New Jersey.
Mercer's brigade, consisting of 350 men, encountered Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood's force—two British regiments and some dragoons, totaling about 1,200 men—near Stony Brook Bridge. A fierce firefight erupted in an orchard grove. The fiery Mercer refused to retreat despite the overwhelming odds and charged into battle.
The better-trained British forces pushed his men back, causing them to break ranks. As Mercer attempted to rally his troops, his horse was shot from under him. He quickly got to his feet but was soon surrounded by British soldiers who mistook him for George Washington and ordered him to surrender.
Outnumbered, Mercer drew his saber and fought fiercely. He was eventually knocked to the ground, bayoneted seven times, and left for dead. When Washington learned of the British attack and saw some of Mercer's men retreating, he personally entered the battle, famously rallying Mercer's men and forcing the British regiments to retreat.
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| Death of Hugh Mercer at Princeton |
A Nation's Loss
After the battle, Mercer's body was taken to a nearby farmhouse where Washington's leading physician, Dr. Benjamin Rush, attended him. However, Mercer died of his wounds on January 12, 1777. His loss was a significant personal blow for Washington, but it was an even greater loss for the new nation, which would have benefited from his leadership both in peace and in war.
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| Mercer Statue at Fredericksburg |
