3 January in military history: Battle of Princeton, 1777

Quick answer

On 3 January 1777 George Washington's Continental Army defeated a British force at Princeton, New Jersey. During the night Washington had slipped away from Lord Cornwallis at Trenton, leaving campfires burning. At dawn his column met British troops leaving Princeton; General Hugh Mercer was mortally wounded, but Washington rallied his men and won.

The Battle of Princeton, 1777: Washington strikes again

3 January 1777 · 249 years ago

The Battle of Princeton was an American victory on 3 January 1777. After the British under Lord Cornwallis trapped George Washington's army at Trenton, Washington marched away during the night, leaving campfires burning, and attacked the British force at Princeton.

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Siege of Sidney Street, 1911: Churchill, the Guards and a burning house

3 January 1911 · 115 years ago

Police and soldiers besieged two Latvian revolutionaries in a house in Stepney, London, members of a gang whose Houndsditch robbery attempt had killed three policemen. Scots Guards from the Tower of London joined the police, and the siege ended when the building caught fire.

Read the full story of Siege of Sidney Street, 1911: Churchill, the Guards and a burning house ›

Frequently asked questions

What happened at Princeton on 3 January 1777?

George Washington's army, after slipping away from Cornwallis at Trenton during the night, defeated a British force under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood near Princeton, New Jersey.

How did Washington escape Cornwallis at Trenton?

On the night of 2 January a small party kept the campfires burning and made noise to deceive the British, while the army marched by back roads toward Princeton.

How did General Hugh Mercer die?

Mercer's brigade was broken by a British bayonet charge. Surrounded and taken for Washington, he refused to surrender and was bayoneted. He died of his wounds on 12 January 1777.

How many men were lost at Princeton?

The sources disagree. William Stryker gives about 40 Americans killed and wounded and about 400 British killed, wounded and captured. The American Battlefield Trust estimates 75 American and 270 British casualties.