Dear Editor:

The Princeton Battlefield Society and some of our local state legislators have a seemingly noble desire to preserve history, yet their historical memory of the Battle of Princeton and the Institute for Advanced Study’s (IAS) faculty housing project are either seriously flawed or intentionally misleading. As the former mayor of Princeton Township when the IAS’s project was approved unanimously by the regional planning board, I felt compelled to shed some historical light on this matter.

First, the IAS has made a concerted effort since the early 1970s to preserve and encourage understanding of the Battle of Princeton. In 1973, IAS conveyed 32 acres to the State of New Jersey increasing the Battlefield Park by 60 percent. In recent years, the IAS has agreed to open their land to the public (as part of the faculty housing project) to allow for interpretative tours to increase the understanding of the Battle of Princeton. This additional public-access open space did not exist previously and presents us with a unique opportunity to further enhance the public’s understanding of the battle.

Second, it is important to understand the Battle of
Princeton — not just that it was an important battle in our
nation’s history, but also that it wasn’t fought on a singular ‘battlefield.’ It was not a stationary battle of simple line formations marching across an open field. In fact, it was a series of skirmishes stretching from the Clarke Farm to Nassau Hall. On the morning of January 3, 1777, the Hessian Captain Johann Ewald wrote upon arriving on the scene that “we found the entire field of action from Maidenhead on to Princeton and vicinity covered with corpses.” [Fischer, Washington’s Crossing] This only makes it quite clear that the land from the Clarke House all the way to and including Nassau Hall was the ‘Battlefield.’ The Princeton Battlefield Society and some of our local legislators would best serve our community and our nation by working with the IAS and helping our nation better understand the battle through interpretive tours, signage, and educational events — along the entire route of the battle.

The IAS has received full local and state approvals for the faculty housing it critically needs on land that it owns. It has also clearly stated its intentions to collaborate with the community, state, and other stakeholders to further enhance our nation’s understanding of the Battle of Princeton. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity and move forward with a more robust educational and tour program on the Battle of Princeton to make sure that its importance is preserved for future generations.

Chad Goerner

Former Township Mayor