The Re-Enactors

Approximately 4,500 American troops and 1200 British troops fought the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777, in a battlespace that stretched from Stoney Creek to the Millstone River.

Most of the soldiers came from New England, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, with smaller contingents from other states. New Jersey was primarily represented by militia and by artillery units. The Americans were led, of course, by George Washington, and one of his generals was Hugh Mercer of Virginia. Mercer would die in the battle, one of roughly 30 Americans to die, but it is from him that Mercer County, Mercerville, the Mercer Oak, and countless other things Mercer in New Jersey get their names.

They were opposed by approximately 850 British troops, under the command of Lt. Col. Charles Mawhood, drawn primarily from the 17th, 40th, and 55th regiments of foot, and the 16th of dragoons, mounted and on foot., and a small number of Hessians from the Waldeck Regiment.

The main action took place on what we now preserve and hallow on the grounds of Princeton Battlefield State Park, but fighting took place in Frog Hollow and on Nassau Street, including the cannonading Nassau Hall, then the main building of the College of New Jersey now known as Princeton University.

Among the units fighting that day were Haslet’s Delaware regiment, the 1st Maryland, the 1st Rhode Island, 1st Conti- nental, and Pennsylvania Rifle regiments, as well as Lamb’s Artillery. Re-enactors from these units will be participate on the Continental side in the Experience the Battle of Princeton re-enactment on January 7, 2025.

Units representing the British 42nd Regiment of Foot and the Guards Brigade, which played a key role in the battle 248 years ago, will be represented this year.

1777 American Regiments

Haslet’s Delawares – In response to the Continental Congress’ request for troops, the Lower Counties Assembly created the 1st Delaware Regiment, placing Col. John Haslet, a Presbyterian minister and veteran of the French and Indian War. After raising troops throughout the early months of 1776, they fought with distinction at the Battles of Long Island, Mamaroneck, White Plains and Trenton. By the Battle of Princeton, expired enlistments and battle casualties, Haslet led a handful of troops into battle on January 3, 1777. He was shot and killed early in the battle that day.

First Maryland Regiment – Also known as Smallwood’s Marylanders, the regiment joined with Haslet’s to put up a ferocious defense to cover the retreating American army at the Battle of Long Island and was decimated by losses suffered there. Watching form nearby at the staunch defense, Gen. George Washington lamented, “Good God, what brave fellows I must this day lose.”

Smallwood’s Marylanders would also fight at the Battles of Harlem Heights, White Plains, and Trenton, before joining in the fight at the Battle of Princeton, where they would fight in Mercer’s Brigade, the first American soldiers to engage the British in the fields between the Clarke houses. The First Maryland fought in a combined unit with Virginians.

Continental Marines (Trevet’s Company) – The Continental Marines were formed in November 1775 and raided Nassau in the Bahamas, where they captured the fort. They fought at Princeton and Trenton, and took part in the Penobscot Expedition. At Princeton, the Marines fought with Cadwalader’s Brigade to first repulse the British attack and then drive them from the field. Marine Ensign Anthony Morris, Lt. Morgan, and a Pennsylvania Marine, Capt. William Shippin were among the casualties on January 3, 1777.

First Rhode Island Regiment – The First Rhode Island, also known as Varnum’s Regiment, was one of the rare inte- grated units in the Continental Army, and Black soldiers in the unit fought at Trenton and Princeton. The regiment also fought at the Siege of Boston, the New York campaign in 1776 and the Battles of Red Bank and Rhode Island. Fighting on January 3, 177 as part of Col. Daniel Hitchcock’s Brigade, Varnum’s regiment saw hot action in the Battle.

First Continental Regiment – Before entering Continental service, this regiment was known as the First Pennsylvania and took part in the 1775 Siege of Boston and then fought at Trenton and Princeton. Later in 1777, if fought in the three Philadelphia battles, before also participating in the American victory at Monmouth in 1778. Later in the war, to captured Stoney Point from the British and fought at Springfield.

Pennsylvania State Regiment – Originally raised in March 1776, this unit, also known as 13th Pennsylvania Regiment and the Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment, fought at the Battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, and Mon- mouth. At Princeton, the regiment served under Generals Nathanial Greene and Hugh Mercer and 200 of these men made up the bulk of the 350-man Mercer’s Brigade and were among the first Americans to engage with the British at Princeton.

Eleventh Pennsylvania Regiment – The 11th, a Continental Army unit, fought at Princeton in General John Sullivan’s Division and took part in the attack on Frog Hollow, near the old Princeton Inn and on the current grounds of
Spring dale Golf Course. The 11th helped rout the British, who fled back into town to take refuse behind Nassau Hall. Sullivan accepted the British surrender there when the British realized how many Americans were attacking them.

Lamb’s Artillery – Also known as the Second Continental Artillery, this unit was formed by with a core of New York City soldiers in 1775 after Lexington and Concord. It officially entered Continental Service with troops from New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania two days before the Battle of Princeton. It fought at Quebec, Trenton, Princeton, Ridgefield, Philadelphia, Monmouth, with Sullivan’s Expedition Springfield, and Yorktown.

At Princeton, 21 year-old Captain Alexander Hamilton fired his cannon at Nassau Hall, compelling the British, who had retreated to the building, to surrender.

1777 British and Hessian Regiments

Brigade of Guards, Grenadier Companies – The Brigade of Guards were considered the elite of Cornwallis’s army. The British Army had three regiments of Foot Guards who traced their lineages to the 1660s. The brigade saw their first combat in Revolution at Long Island. They fought in the 1776 New York campaigns and in the 1777 Philadelphia cam- paign. Afterwards, they fought at Monmouth and served in the New York garrison until 1780. They joined Cornwallis’s southern army in January 1781.

4th Battalion, Royal Artillery – The Battle of Princeton was primarily an infantry affair for the British, but in the fighting between the Clarke houses, the British used two six pound brass cannon on January 3rd, set up near a fence that cut across what is now Princeton Pike. The American troops that day described the shooting of the two cannon that day as “dreadful.”

Additional Participating American Regiments

1st New York (McCracken’s Company – Formed in 1775 from the area between Lake George and Albany, New York, and led by Joseph McCracken, the unit took part in the Canadian campaign, the Battle of Valcour Island, the Battleof Saratoga, and fought in the Philadelphia campaign and the Battle of Monmouth. They also took part in the Sullivan Expedition and closed out the war at Yorktown.

Second New Jersey Regiment – Made up of soldiers from Hunterdon, Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, and Sussex Counties, it was organized in Trenton in 1775, giving it a particularly local flavor (there was no Mercer County yet). The Second New Jersey was with Benedict Arnold at Valcour Island, fought in the Philadelphia campaign, also took part in the American victory at Monmouth, marched with Sullivan, and fought at the Battles of Springfield and Yorktown.

Third New Jersey Regiment – The “New Jersey Grays” were raised on January 1, 1776, in Elizabeth, New Jersey and entered serves as a Continental Regiment. The 3rd fought at the Battle of Valcour Island, New York Campaign, and at the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Sullivan’s Expedition and the Battle of Springfield.

Fourth Connecticut Regiment – This regiment was raised on April 27, 1775, at Hartford, Connecticut. The regiment saw action in the Invasion of Canada following its adoption into the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, during which it was led by Colonel Benjamin Hinman. After which the regiment was disbanded on December 20, 1775, and reformed on September 16, 1776, to fight in the Philadelphia campaign in the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of Monmouth. These battles saw the leadership of Colonel John Durkee.

Fourth Regiment Light Dragoons – Perhaps better known as Moylan’s Dragoons, the Fourth was one of four Continental Dragoon regiments authorized by Congress. The regiment was known for taking the field in captured British scarlet coats, but to avoid confusion with the British, the regiment changed to green coats faced in red during the summer of 1778. Moylan’s Dragoons fought at the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Guilford Court House and the Siege of Yorktown.

5th Pennsylvania Regiment – Originally formed as the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion, was raised December 9, 1775, at Chester, Pennsylvania, for service with the Continental Army. The regiment would see action at Brandywine, Paoli, Germantown, Monmouth, Springfield, Green Spring, and Yorktown. The regiment was disbanded on January 1, 1783.

Sixth Pennsylvania Regiment – Like the 5th, the 6th Pennsylvania was a Continental Army regiment, raised December 9, 1775, at Philadelphia, and led by Col. Robert Magaw. The regiment fought during the New York Campaign, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth, and Green Spring. The regiment was disbanded on January 1, 1783.

Ninth Pennsylvania Light Infantry – This unit fought at Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown in the fight for Philadelphia during the summer of 1777, then took part in the victory over the British at the Battle of Monmouth. Led by Col. Richard Butler, it last fought in the Battle of Springfield, New Jersey, in 1780.

Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment – Sometimes referred to as the 5th New Jersey Regiment, this regiment fought at the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Short Hills, and took part in the 1778 Sullivan expedition. The Continental Congress authorized sixteen “Additional” Continental Regiments” in late 1776 and Colonel Oliver Spencer accepted command of this regiment, with men recruited from Essex, Morris and Sussex Counties, as well as Orange County in New York. It also suffered through the brutal winter at Valley Forge.

2nd Virginia Regiment – The regiment fought in 1775-1776 Southern Campaign and then fought in the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777-1778. It, too, suffered through the Valley Forge Winter and then fought in the Battle of Monmouth. After Monmouth, it was recalled to Virginia and most soldiers mustered out in the Spring of 1780. Those who remained took part in the siege of Yorktown.

Schott’s Independent Company – Led by German-born Capt. John Paul Schott, was formed in 1776 and at one time attached to the artillery. Later in life, Schott would write he didn’t like the artillery “so well.” Schott’s Company was inde- pendent, not colony-raised, and later attached to Ottendorf’s Corps. Among the places they fought was in the Battle of Short Hills in June of 1777, where Schott was taken prisoner.

Outwater’s Militia – This New Jersey unit, led by Captain John Outwater, was raised in Bergen County, after the New Jersey Assembly passed a law providing for the raising of 25 militia companies. It formed in early 1777, assembled in Hackensack, and was composed of Jersey Dutch farmers and tradesmen who attempted to protect their property from British foraging parties. The British raided Bergen County frequently and Outwater’s Militia repelled the raiders whether they came by land or water. In December 1780, the State legislature commissioned the company Outwater’s Company, New Jersey State Troops. They served as State Troops through 1781.

Washington Crossing Fire and Drums – This unit didn’t fight in the Revolution and wasn’t formed until the 20th Century, but it has a direct link to the Trenton-Princeton campaign. Drummer Micah Goldsberry’s sixth great-grandfather was a Hessian drummer who served in the Waldeck regiment and was captured three days after the Battle of Princeton, near Elizabeth, New Jersey, and the joined a Virginia regiment of the Continental Army. From the First Crossing to our annual Memorial Day Ceremony, the volunteers of the Fife & Drum Corps bring both music and history to events at Washington Crossing Historic Park

Additional Participating British and Hessian Regiments

Von Prueschenk’s Feld-Jagr – Hessian jaegers or hunters, this unit was sent to North America to fight for Great Britain. Drawn from the upper-middle-class gamekeepers of Hesse-Kassel, Major Ernst von Prueschenk’s company fought at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776 before fighting in most of the battles of the Northern theatre, the last of them being the June 1778 Battle of Monmouth. The company was stationed at Bordentown on the eve of the Battle of Trenton in December 1776 and warned Col. Rall of the impending American attack. A hailstorm prevented the unit from fighting in the battle of Trenton and layer fought at the Battle of Monmouth and surrendered during the Siege of Yorktown.

First Battalion of New Jersey Volunteers – These Loyalist troops, also known as “Skinner’s Greens,” saw service at the Battles of Long Island, Savannah, Eutaw Springs, and Kings Mountain. They raided New London, fought at Groton Heights, and surrendered at Yorktown. After the war, the unit disbanded and many members moved to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, in Canada.

15th Regiment of Foot – The regiment was sent to North America again in spring 1776 for service in the Revolution. It fought in the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, the Battle of White Plains in October 1776 and the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776.[21] It also took part in the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777,[22] the Battle of Germantown in October 1777[23] and the Battle of White Marsh in December 1777.

22nd Regiment of Foot – The 22nd landed in Boston after the Battle of Bunker Hill and was evacuated in early 1776 to Nova Scotia after Gen. William Howe determined in March that defending Boston was no longer tenable. The 22nd was part of the British invasion of New York City and took part in the campaign around New York City and the invasion of New Jersey in the fall of 1776. The regiment also fought in the Battle of Rhode Island.

The 42nd Regiment of Foot – The 42nd was a Scottish infantry regiment better known as the Black Watch. Originally titled Crawford’s Highlanders or the Highland Regiment (mustered 1739) they were one of the first three Highland Regiments to fight in North America. The unit was honored with the name Royal Highland Regiment in 1758. Its informal name Black Watch became official in 1861. The Black Watch fought in the Battles of Long Island, Harlem Heights, Pis- cataway, Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth, as well as the Siege of Charleston.

43rd Regiment of Foot – After fighting in North America during the French and Indian War, the 43rd was sent back to the colonies in 1774 and remained there throughout the Revolution. It fought at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Rhode Island, and shortly thereafter was withdrawn back to New York where it took part in the Battle of Fort Washington and Battle of Fort Lee.

54th Regiment of Foot – Formed in West Norfolk, this regiment took part in the British first attack on Charlestown, South Carolina, the Battle of Long Island and later the Battle of Rhode Island. It also participated in raids on Connecti- cut and Massachusetts ports later in the war. It was accused during the war of massacring 80 American soldiers at the Battle of Fort Griswold in 1781.