American Revolution
Obelisk in Port Mercer
Overview
The American Revolution was never a sure victory for General George Washington’s forces. Until the end of 1776, the revolutionaries were repeatedly buttressed by their Hessian and British counterparts, winning only a few battles and suffering a string of defeats in the New York City area that summer and fall. The winter of that year brought extreme cold, starvation, and subsequent death for many of the soldiers, resulting in a plummeting morale.
However, following Washington’s historic crossing of the Delaware and the subsequent Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, the tide of the Revolutionary War started to turn in the favor of the patriots. While the Battle of Assunpink Creek (also known as the Second Battle of Trenton) and the Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777) are considered small military victories, their impact on the morale of the troops, who would go on to win repeated victories later in cannot be overstated.
While no battles of any war have ever taken place within West Windsor during its existence – the municipality would only be incorporated twenty years after the Battle of Princeton - the township did own the historic Princeton Battlefield until the mid-1800s. In fact, until several land transfers spanning 1838-1853, West Windsor owned the much or all of Princeton up to Nassau Street!
Research is ongoing to determine the extent of the role West Windsor individuals played in the American Revolution. Expect to see much more in this section soon! However, for those who would like a research challenge, it is known that two hometown heroes did serve: Private Coert Voorhies (1756-1821) and John T. Tindall (1754-1837). Both enlisted in Captain Samuel Stout's Third Regiment.
In addition, several families in Grovers Mill were forced to house Hessian soldiers during the war. Moreover, due to Princeton’s proximity to Penns Neck, many locals both witnessed the historic skirmish at Princeton and were involved in several critical events leading up to January 3.
The American Revolution was never a sure victory for General George Washington’s forces. Until the end of 1776, the revolutionaries were repeatedly buttressed by their Hessian and British counterparts, winning only a few battles and suffering a string of defeats in the New York City area that summer and fall. The winter of that year brought extreme cold, starvation, and subsequent death for many of the soldiers, resulting in a plummeting morale.
However, following Washington’s historic crossing of the Delaware and the subsequent Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, the tide of the Revolutionary War started to turn in the favor of the patriots. While the Battle of Assunpink Creek (also known as the Second Battle of Trenton) and the Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777) are considered small military victories, their impact on the morale of the troops, who would go on to win repeated victories later in cannot be overstated.
While no battles of any war have ever taken place within West Windsor during its existence – the municipality would only be incorporated twenty years after the Battle of Princeton - the township did own the historic Princeton Battlefield until the mid-1800s. In fact, until several land transfers spanning 1838-1853, West Windsor owned the much or all of Princeton up to Nassau Street!
Research is ongoing to determine the extent of the role West Windsor individuals played in the American Revolution. Expect to see much more in this section soon! However, for those who would like a research challenge, it is known that two hometown heroes did serve: Private Coert Voorhies (1756-1821) and John T. Tindall (1754-1837). Both enlisted in Captain Samuel Stout's Third Regiment.
In addition, several families in Grovers Mill were forced to house Hessian soldiers during the war. Moreover, due to Princeton’s proximity to Penns Neck, many locals both witnessed the historic skirmish at Princeton and were involved in several critical events leading up to January 3.
The Jesse Coleman Farm
The Capture of the British Dragoons
A consequential prelude to the Battle of Princeton occurred in West Windsor on the cold night of December 30th, 1776. General George Washington’s troops, partially reinvigorated after driving the Hessian garrison from Trenton, aimed to march northward towards Princeton. Though the general felt his position to be secure, he was highly wary of the British Lord Cornwallis, who had begun to move large contingents of his army into the area upon learning of Washington’s victory, and sought to outmaneuver his English counterpart. He dispatched his intelligence corps, led by Colonel Joseph Reed, a Trenton native, to the countryside to scout the backroads and farmlands for any signs of British troop movement. Though staffed by many young and inexperienced men, this cadre’s reconnaissance resulted in an important just north of where Clarksville and Quakerbridge Roads intersect.
A squadron of six American riders and Colonel Reed were dispatched to scout out the village and its surroundings. At first, they met with little success, as the farmers and inhabitants of the area were too frightened of reprisals from the British to accede to the patriots’ requests for information. However, they eventually stumbled upon a lone British soldier, walking, unarmed, from a local barn to its respective farmhouse – reputedly the long-gone Jesse Coleman house. They initially sent out two of their number to snatch him up when a second British soldier also passed between the buildings - and then a third! Reed, realizing that they had caught one of the advanced posts of the British Army unawares, ordered his men to dismount and approach the house on foot as a whole, putting the barn between them and the farmhouse in order to surprise the redcoats inside. As his men surrounded the house, Reed called out and ordered the British troops - heavily armed dragoons - to surrender.
A consequential prelude to the Battle of Princeton occurred in West Windsor on the cold night of December 30th, 1776. General George Washington’s troops, partially reinvigorated after driving the Hessian garrison from Trenton, aimed to march northward towards Princeton. Though the general felt his position to be secure, he was highly wary of the British Lord Cornwallis, who had begun to move large contingents of his army into the area upon learning of Washington’s victory, and sought to outmaneuver his English counterpart. He dispatched his intelligence corps, led by Colonel Joseph Reed, a Trenton native, to the countryside to scout the backroads and farmlands for any signs of British troop movement. Though staffed by many young and inexperienced men, this cadre’s reconnaissance resulted in an important just north of where Clarksville and Quakerbridge Roads intersect.
A squadron of six American riders and Colonel Reed were dispatched to scout out the village and its surroundings. At first, they met with little success, as the farmers and inhabitants of the area were too frightened of reprisals from the British to accede to the patriots’ requests for information. However, they eventually stumbled upon a lone British soldier, walking, unarmed, from a local barn to its respective farmhouse – reputedly the long-gone Jesse Coleman house. They initially sent out two of their number to snatch him up when a second British soldier also passed between the buildings - and then a third! Reed, realizing that they had caught one of the advanced posts of the British Army unawares, ordered his men to dismount and approach the house on foot as a whole, putting the barn between them and the farmhouse in order to surprise the redcoats inside. As his men surrounded the house, Reed called out and ordered the British troops - heavily armed dragoons - to surrender.
A light British Dragoon
Believing themselves outnumbered, a total of twelve British soldiers gave themselves up to the seven revolutionaries, six of whom had never seen combat before. The Sergeant of the British unit managed to escape and return to Cornwallis’s camp at Princeton, where he reported that he had fought through fifty horsemen to escape the farm! In addition to the twelve prisoners, a commissary was recovered from the outpost which detailed Cornwallis’s plans for the retaking of Trenton from Washington’s forces. This information would be instrumental in Washington’s planning of the Battle of Assunpink Creek, which would prove to be a resounding American victory and set the stage for Washington’s triumph in Princeton.
The exploits of Reed and his men were commemorated with a plaque installed by Fiona Misiura for her Girl Scout Silver Award project in 2014. The results of her research and work with the West Windsor Historical Sociey, Princeton Battlefield Society, Daughters of the American Revolution and other groups can be seen in the plaque commemorating the incident, located near the entrance to the old American Cyanamid property on Quakerbridge Road!
The exploits of Reed and his men were commemorated with a plaque installed by Fiona Misiura for her Girl Scout Silver Award project in 2014. The results of her research and work with the West Windsor Historical Sociey, Princeton Battlefield Society, Daughters of the American Revolution and other groups can be seen in the plaque commemorating the incident, located near the entrance to the old American Cyanamid property on Quakerbridge Road!
Jinnie Jackson and the March on Princeton
“A woman guided the Continental Army on that march beset with so many perils and difficulties. A woman! Her loyalty, her devotion, her sacrifice, and her suffering for the cause of the Colony have given and shall ever give her all honor, praise and gratitude.” -General Hugh Mercer.
“A woman guided the Continental Army on that march beset with so many perils and difficulties. A woman! Her loyalty, her devotion, her sacrifice, and her suffering for the cause of the Colony have given and shall ever give her all honor, praise and gratitude.” -General Hugh Mercer.
Soldiers of the Continental Army
Little is known about Jinnie Jackson Waglum outside of legend and speculation, but her importance to folklore about West Windsor’s role in the American Revolution is unmistakable. While it is unknown whether Jackson's tale is true or not, even folklore is integral to a township's history. Nevertheless, research is ongoing to determine its validity.
According to legend, Jinnie Jackson was the daughter of a wealthy Irish family who had married Abraham Walgum, a businessman who kept a “home of entertainment” near the Delaware Ferry. Through her husband she had become acquainted with various Richmond family members, who served as innkeepers and, later, patriots. Jonathan Richmond, owner and tavernkeeper of the True American Inn, had been chosen as the barrack-master of the American army and his inn was used by Washington as a personal headquarters while he kept his army in Trenton. A chance visit by Jinnie Jackson to the True American Inn led to Richmond volunteering her navigational services to the General, who desired a secure, well-hidden route to Princeton following the Battle of Assunpink Creek.
After conferring with Jackson and his war council, Washington hatched a plan, which was swiftly enacted. On the cold wintery evening of January 2nd, A few troops began to light bonfires and loudly dig in order to fool the British into thinking that the patriots were entrenching at the Assunpink. Meanwhile, the patriot army, led by Jinnie Jackson (a local familiar with the back roads), filed quietly out of Trenton. They first marched along Sandtown road (modern day Hamilton Avenue), then up Quakerbridge Road into Princeton.
The march, leading through thick woods and over icy ponds, was perilous and hushed. Thick woods and icy ponds proved difficult and dangerous, and officers spread the rumor that their subordinates were surrounded in order to maintain silence. The stillness of the night was only broken by the crunching of leaves, and, in several instances, the frantic struggles of men falling through ice in the pitch-blackness of the winter night. Nevertheless, the troops marched on. They reached Stony Brook by the dawn of January 3rd, frozen to the bone but otherwise in high spirits. Jinnie Jackson’s heroism had placed the Patriot troops in the perfect location for a strike on Princeton.
According to legend, Jinnie Jackson was the daughter of a wealthy Irish family who had married Abraham Walgum, a businessman who kept a “home of entertainment” near the Delaware Ferry. Through her husband she had become acquainted with various Richmond family members, who served as innkeepers and, later, patriots. Jonathan Richmond, owner and tavernkeeper of the True American Inn, had been chosen as the barrack-master of the American army and his inn was used by Washington as a personal headquarters while he kept his army in Trenton. A chance visit by Jinnie Jackson to the True American Inn led to Richmond volunteering her navigational services to the General, who desired a secure, well-hidden route to Princeton following the Battle of Assunpink Creek.
After conferring with Jackson and his war council, Washington hatched a plan, which was swiftly enacted. On the cold wintery evening of January 2nd, A few troops began to light bonfires and loudly dig in order to fool the British into thinking that the patriots were entrenching at the Assunpink. Meanwhile, the patriot army, led by Jinnie Jackson (a local familiar with the back roads), filed quietly out of Trenton. They first marched along Sandtown road (modern day Hamilton Avenue), then up Quakerbridge Road into Princeton.
The march, leading through thick woods and over icy ponds, was perilous and hushed. Thick woods and icy ponds proved difficult and dangerous, and officers spread the rumor that their subordinates were surrounded in order to maintain silence. The stillness of the night was only broken by the crunching of leaves, and, in several instances, the frantic struggles of men falling through ice in the pitch-blackness of the winter night. Nevertheless, the troops marched on. They reached Stony Brook by the dawn of January 3rd, frozen to the bone but otherwise in high spirits. Jinnie Jackson’s heroism had placed the Patriot troops in the perfect location for a strike on Princeton.
The Battle of Princeton
Having outmaneuvered Cornwallis, Washington and his 4,500 men were poised to invade the town, which was then held by a garrison of Cornwallis’s army. Still led by Jackson, the revolutionaries followed Stony Brook until it crossed the Post Road from Trenton to Princeton, then maneuvered his men across a country road that passed through the land of a “Thomas Clarke” – of the same family that founded Clarksville in West Windsor. This land was concealed from the main road and largely undefended, allowing the entire army to pass unnoticed. By daybreak, Washington was two miles from Princeton.
Having outmaneuvered Cornwallis, Washington and his 4,500 men were poised to invade the town, which was then held by a garrison of Cornwallis’s army. Still led by Jackson, the revolutionaries followed Stony Brook until it crossed the Post Road from Trenton to Princeton, then maneuvered his men across a country road that passed through the land of a “Thomas Clarke” – of the same family that founded Clarksville in West Windsor. This land was concealed from the main road and largely undefended, allowing the entire army to pass unnoticed. By daybreak, Washington was two miles from Princeton.
General Hugh Mercer
The British garrison, a paltry 1,200 men, was led by Lt. Colonel Charles Mawhood, had not even the slightest idea of Washington’s presence. They had received orders to join Cornwallis near Trenton and were mobilizing their forces to fulfill their commander’s request. Mawhood had just sent out one third of his troops when a scouting party of his army reported a massive Patriot force just south of Stony Brook near the Clarke Farm. Caught completely off guard, Mawhood ordered his men to return to Princeton. When his scouts reported this maneuver, Washington ordered Brigadier General Hugh Mercer to intercept Mawhood and his forward troops. Though this order would ultimately result in Mercer’s death, it bought the patriots valuable time and allowed them to win the Battle of Princeton.
General Hugh Mercer deduced that he would not be able to intercept Mawhood’s advanced units, and instead decided to link up with General John Sullivan’s Brigade, which was stationed nearby. Upon learning of Mercer’s exposed position, Mawhood dispatched two regiments and a mounted unit to intercept him. The fight that transpired resulted in casualties on both sides and Mercer’s horse was shot out from under him. Amid the chaotic battle, Mercer was separated from his men and ordered to surrender by British troops. Refusing to give in, he drew his saber and charged his numerically superior opponents, whereupon he was bayoneted six times and left for dead as the British reformed their lines. Upon the arrival of Washington’s relief forces, led by Washington himself, Mercer was rescued and brought to the Clarke Farmhouse to be treated. There, he would linger for a day before passing. His bravery in the face of certain death was commemorated in the many institutions and areas around Mercer county that bear his name. Even one of West Windsor’s historic villages - Port Mercer - was named in his honor!
General Hugh Mercer deduced that he would not be able to intercept Mawhood’s advanced units, and instead decided to link up with General John Sullivan’s Brigade, which was stationed nearby. Upon learning of Mercer’s exposed position, Mawhood dispatched two regiments and a mounted unit to intercept him. The fight that transpired resulted in casualties on both sides and Mercer’s horse was shot out from under him. Amid the chaotic battle, Mercer was separated from his men and ordered to surrender by British troops. Refusing to give in, he drew his saber and charged his numerically superior opponents, whereupon he was bayoneted six times and left for dead as the British reformed their lines. Upon the arrival of Washington’s relief forces, led by Washington himself, Mercer was rescued and brought to the Clarke Farmhouse to be treated. There, he would linger for a day before passing. His bravery in the face of certain death was commemorated in the many institutions and areas around Mercer county that bear his name. Even one of West Windsor’s historic villages - Port Mercer - was named in his honor!
One of the legends surrounding the brigadier general’s death involves the Mercer Oak. It recounts that Hugh Mercer, with an Englishman’s bayonet sticking out of him, refused to abandon his men as they stood their ground and leaned against the White Oak tree to command them. This tree was destroyed in 2000 during a gale, but has been immortalized on the Seal of Mercer County. Moreover, several offshoots can be found scattered across Princeton Battlefield State Park.
Following Mercer’s fateful engagement, more forces began to take the field near Clarke Farm. General John Cadwalader’s brigade moved into position to engage the rapidly reforming British line while General Sullivan’s men formed their own their own line against the encroaching English reinforcements. The two patriot leaders then attempted to engage Mawhood’s contingent but were repulsed. The patriots were on the verge of retreating from the field when Washington arrived with the rest of his main force.
Washington, “with hat in hand,” waved his men forward into the fray and stabilized the American line, reportedly shouting "parade with us my brave fellows! There is but a handful of the enemy and we shall have them directly!" The patriot brigades, composed of men from New England and Virginia, subsequently unleashed volley after volley into the now-outnumbered British formation.
Mawhood eventually ordered his men to retreat back to Princeton when it became clear that victory was out of reach, and the British line soon crumbled. Washington’s men to give chase, calling the pursuit “a fine fox chase my boys!" Although American soldiers attempted to block the British retreat across Post Road, a bayonet charge by Mawhood’s men destroyed the nascent encirclement and allowed the British to return to Princeton, albeit pursued until nightfall. There, the British soldiers took refuge in Nassau Hall (which would later serve as temporary headquarters for the Congress of the Confederacy in 1783), until Alexander Hamilton, then a captain of the New York Provincial Company of Artillery, rolled three cannons up to the building and blasted away. One cannonball flew in through an upper window, "decapitating" a portrait of King George III; another glanced off the side of the building, and the damage (on the back left side of the structure) can be seen to this day.
Following Mercer’s fateful engagement, more forces began to take the field near Clarke Farm. General John Cadwalader’s brigade moved into position to engage the rapidly reforming British line while General Sullivan’s men formed their own their own line against the encroaching English reinforcements. The two patriot leaders then attempted to engage Mawhood’s contingent but were repulsed. The patriots were on the verge of retreating from the field when Washington arrived with the rest of his main force.
Washington, “with hat in hand,” waved his men forward into the fray and stabilized the American line, reportedly shouting "parade with us my brave fellows! There is but a handful of the enemy and we shall have them directly!" The patriot brigades, composed of men from New England and Virginia, subsequently unleashed volley after volley into the now-outnumbered British formation.
Mawhood eventually ordered his men to retreat back to Princeton when it became clear that victory was out of reach, and the British line soon crumbled. Washington’s men to give chase, calling the pursuit “a fine fox chase my boys!" Although American soldiers attempted to block the British retreat across Post Road, a bayonet charge by Mawhood’s men destroyed the nascent encirclement and allowed the British to return to Princeton, albeit pursued until nightfall. There, the British soldiers took refuge in Nassau Hall (which would later serve as temporary headquarters for the Congress of the Confederacy in 1783), until Alexander Hamilton, then a captain of the New York Provincial Company of Artillery, rolled three cannons up to the building and blasted away. One cannonball flew in through an upper window, "decapitating" a portrait of King George III; another glanced off the side of the building, and the damage (on the back left side of the structure) can be seen to this day.
Nassau Hall
The next day, 194 British soldiers surrendered their arms, and the town of Princeton, to the American Army. Though Washington had to abdicate his newly captured town due to the approach of Cornwallis’s army, his men looted the British camp at Princeton and marched on. Although the fighting was now over, its impact was felt by the locals for years. An eyewitness account of the fighting, attributed to an unknown farmhand at Clarke Farm, described the fighting: “The Battle was Plainly seen from our door. Before any gun was heard, a man was seen to fall and immediately the report and smoke was seen and heard. And the guns went of [sic] so quick and so many together that they could not be numbered. We presently went down into the Cellar to keep out of the way of the shot. There was a neighbor woman down in the cellar with us and she was so affrited [sic] that she imagined the field was covered with blood, and when we came out of the cellar she called earnestly to us to look and see how all the field [i.e. Clark’s farm] was quit[sic] red with blood… Almost as soon as the firing was over our house was filled with and [then] surrounded with Gen’l Washington’s men, and himself on horseback at the door… Gen’l Washington’s men came into our house. Though they were both hungry and Thirsty, some of them laughing out right, others smiling and not a man among them but showed Joy in his countenance. It really animated my old blood with Love to those men that but a few minutes before had been courageously looking death in the face.”
The same farmhand also recounted how the men of British General William Howe were quartered in Penns Neck, where they did great damage to the buildings of the locals. Sadly, the worker even described an incident in which two of the men "ravished" a local farmer's daughter, whose name he refused to reveal "for her honor's sake."
The same farmhand also recounted how the men of British General William Howe were quartered in Penns Neck, where they did great damage to the buildings of the locals. Sadly, the worker even described an incident in which two of the men "ravished" a local farmer's daughter, whose name he refused to reveal "for her honor's sake."
The Battle of Princeton proved to be instrumental in the New Jersey theatre of the American Revolution, and ultimately Washington’s victory there persuaded Cornwallis and his fellow commanders to abandon the idea of holding New Jersey and focus on other theatres. However, despite being a victory for the patriots, the battle was a disaster to a few local farmers, who had their property and livelihoods damaged by the intense fighting in and around Clarke Farm. Three microfiche records of insurance claims from residents of Penns Neck are shown below; click on each image to expand:
While the Princeton Battlefield has long been ceded to its eponymous township, the memories of Washington’s March and the American Revolution live on in West Windsor. As mentioned, Port Mercer immortalizes, in its name, that brigadier general who gave his life for the start of a new nation. In addition, Clarksville is home to a plaque memorializing the interrogation of British dragoons. Moreover, in 1914, the Sons of Liberty installed 12 plaques along the path that Washington and his men marched from Trenton to Princeton. These obelisks line the roads leading between the two cities, and two are located within the vicinity of Port Mercer. While the destruction and chaos of the war is hundreds of years disappeared, the instrumental battles fought to the south and east of our township still linger.