Battle Map: Battle of Princeton, am to am. After his arrival upon the Pennsylvania shore of the Delaware River, Washington sent out an urgent plea for reinforcement. One of the first contingents of soldiers to respond to this request were roughly marines from the Philadelphia area. This force of marines had been recruited for duty aboard the various Continental warships now anchored near Philadelphia and were generally considered to be excellent fighters.
The marine officers had seen active duty against the British onboard various vessels and their men had been occupied in daily drill and frequent skirmishes with British forces operating in the area. During the fierce fighting the Regulars several of the marines were killed in battle, including Captain William Shippin.
These casualties were some of the first to be suffered by marines on any battlefield. After the American victory on the Clarke Farm, the final military actions of the Battle of Princeton shifted towards the town itself.
From this stout building, the British intended to use firing positions to hold off the Americans until a relief party arrived.
The Americans positioned cannon around the building and soon began firing on the building and its occupants. Legend has it that one of the American cannonballs decapitated the portrait of King George II hanging inside the building — a fearful omen that further spurred the British garrison to surrender. Nassau Hall still stands at the center of Princeton University and one can still see upon its surface damage caused by the American fire.
As for the portrait of King George? The original portrait was destroyed, but a different painting of King George II now hangs in the historic building opposite Peale's portrait of George Washington at Princeton.
The disastrous defeats in the New York Campaign and the precipitous retreat across the Delaware River had left the prospects for American independence in tatters. Rather than retreat to winter quarters as most on both sides of the Delaware River expected, Washington chose to attack in the dead of winter. Not only were the British and the Loyalists discouraged, but his own soldiers found newfound confidence that they could beat the very best that the British could put into the field.
Washington on canvas. The painting had been commissioned by the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania for its council chambers in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. Each of these copies employs different sized canvases, updated uniforms, varied backgrounds, and other modifications. In the original painting, now a part of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts collection, Washington leans upon the barrel of a captured cannon while Hessian and British flags lie at his feet.
Learn More: Peale's portrait of Washington at Princeton. Lengel, Edward G. New York: Random House, The Americans inflicted heavy They clashed with a larger force of American soldiers led by General Horatio Gates Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them Tensions had been building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts.
On the night Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Washington Crosses the Delaware. Recommended for you. How the Troubles Began in Northern Ireland. Battles of Trenton and Princeton. How To Get Into Princeton. Battle of Saratoga. Battle of Long Island.
See More. Battle of Trenton. This article on the Battle of Trenton provides facts and information about this conflict between the British and American forces during the Revolutionary War: What was the date of the Battle of Trenton?
Who were the leaders of the Battle of Trenton? Where was the Battle of Trenton fought, the location of the battlefield? The year and date that the Battle of Trenton took place on Thursday, December 26, The Battle of Trenton ended in victory for the American colonists. General George Washington sent one part of his army to secure the Highlands of the Hudson. With the other part of the army he moved across New Jersey to the southern side of the Delaware River.
General George Washington crossed the Delaware with a division of his army. It was a treacherous crossing, a violent snowstorm was raging and the Delaware river was full of ice. But George Washington and the determined soldiers crossed the river. The weather changed and the storm turned to freezing sleet and rain but on the soldiers marched on to their destination which was the Hessian garrison at Trenton. The American forces under George Washington and Nathanael Greene surprised the German Hessians holding the roads leading inland from the town of Trenton.
A few horsemen escaped before John Stark could prevent them, but all of the fleeing German Hessian foot soldiers were killed or captured. Nearly Hessian prisoners were marched through Philadelphia. It was a significant victory for the Americans and a crushing defeat for the Hessian army. Washington was about to lead another American victory at the Battle of Princeton.
0コメント