A reenactment of the Battle of Princeton took place at Princeton Battlefield State Park on Jan. 2, just a day before the 245th anniversary of the original battle on Jan. 3, 1777.
The Battle of Princeton marked the culmination of the Ten Crucial Days campaign that started with Washington’s crossing of the Delaware and was the third in a series of victories by American forces that reversed months of defeat in late 1776 and almost certainly saved the American Revolution from collapse, according to a statement from the Princeton Battlefield Society.
The “Experience the Battle of Princeton” event was organized by the Princeton
Battlefield Society (PBS) and was the first such reenactment in two years, after a
forced hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The outdoor event featured a turnout of over 450 attendees from Princeton and surrounding communities, likely the highest attendance since the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the battle in 1977, according to the statement.
There were more than 100 reenactors, including artillery, most from New Jersey and surrounding states but some from as far away as Florida, representing units of both American and British forces.
Princeton police and EMS units were on site throughout the event to help manage traffic and ensure the safety of the large crowd of participants, according to the statement.
In addition, several U.S. Army officers from units descending from the formations that fought with Washington at Princeton – as well as an officer from the British Army’s 2nd
Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment representing the unit that opposed American
forces in 1777 – participated.
On the American side, in addition to representation from the U.S. Army’s 5th Field Artillery from Fort Reilly, Kansas, five officers from the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland National Guards were on hand to honor the soldiers from those states who participated in the battle.
The list of distinguished visitors – which also included Assemblyman Dan Benson and Princeton Mayor Mark Freda – made clear the growing recognition of the Battle of Princeton as a landmark event in Revolutionary history and the Princeton Battlefield as a venue
deserving national recognition, according to the statement.
Following the reenactment, PBS joined a wide range of other local and national historic and heritage groups at a wreath-laying ceremony honoring both American and British casualties of the battle. Participating organizations included the Sons of the American Revolution, the Society of the Cincinnati, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Sons of the Revolution.
The representation by these groups, as well as military personnel from both countries, reflected both the importance of the battle and the poignant presence of both American and British dead in a common grave, according to the statement.
These events were the latest in a series of ongoing commemorations at both the
Princeton Battlefield and at other Ten Crucial Days”sites in Washington Crossing
and Trenton aimed at fostering a greater focus on the critical role of New Jersey
and Pennsylvania in the Revolution as the 250th anniversary of American
independence approaches in 2026.
