Battle of Princeton, The (Wertenbaker 1929) PDF

by Prof. Thomas J. Wertenbaker | NJHS 1929 | 7pp | PDF 121K |

The Battle of Princeton recounts the dangerous aftermath of Washington's attack on Trenton in early January 1777. The Princeton campaign, says the author, suddenly changed the entire situation. It removed, for the time being at least, the threat to Pennsylvania. It forced the British to retire behind the Raritan River. The conquest of New Jersey had practically severed New England and New York from the states south of Delaware: but Washington's maneuver restored communications. From winter quarters in Morristown, he could march northward, in case Howe should attack the ports on the upper Hudson; or southward, in case he centered his attention on the states to the South. Moreover, he was in an excellent position to watch New York, and to make an effort to deliver that city if the opportunity ever presented itself.