Local Experts Ready to Battle To Preserve Princeton Battlefield

Candace Braun

Local experts pleaded to a standing-room only crowd of 150 people at the Princeton Public Library last Thursday to help support the preservation of land adjacent to the Princeton Battlefield that the Institute for Advanced Study is considering using to build housing.

The site of a battle that represented a turning point in American history, the Princeton Battlefield is now preserved as an 85-acre state park on either side of Mercer Road in Princeton Township. The park contains the grave site of 21 British and 15 American soldiers, the Thomas Clark House Museum, and a seedling from the original Mercer Oak tree, which fell in 2000.

Adjacent to the park is the Institute for Advanced Study, which owns 600-acres of woodland and agricultural land as a wildlife preserve with trails open to the public. Founded in 1930 by Louis Bamberger and Caroline Bamberger Fuld, the Institute is an independent, private institution dedicated to the encouragement, support, and patronage of learning through fundamental research and definitive scholarship across a wide range of fields.

But while the Institute has 600 acres of open space, it is looking to use another portion of its land to build 15 single-family residences. The approximately 24 acres of land in question are located just west of the Institute, near where the main fighting of the Battle of Princeton took place, according to the Princeton Battlefield Area Preservation Society.

The Institute, which has commissioned a report surveying the land it hopes to build on, has permanently conserved 75 percent of its property for the park, including the 32 acres it sold to the state in 1973, according to a statement issued last year. Spokeswoman Christine Ferrara said she had no further comment on the matter.

Jerry Hurwitz, president of the Princeton Battlefield Preservation Society, told residents on Thursday to reflect on the importance of the field, which is second only to Trenton as the most historically significant site in New Jersey.

"We want this to be a shining example of the sacrifices and patriotism of Americans during the Revolution," he said. "We feel this is sacred ground and houses shouldn't be built on it."

While most people may think of Princeton University when they think of the town, the most significant Princeton landmark is the battlefield, according to John Mills, curator of the Princeton Battlefield, who added that the last thing Princeton needs is to have a historical park in the middle of a new housing development.

Historically Significant

Following the discussion by local experts, author and historian David Hackett Fischer discussed his recently published book, Washington's Crossing, which emphasizes the significance of the Princeton Battlefield.

A professor of history at Brandeis University who attended Princeton University as an undergrad in the late 1950s, Mr. Fischer authored a book which provides a well-researched analysis of George Washington's historic Christmas crossing of the Delaware, and the defeat of the British Army at Princeton.

The battlefield's history began on January 3, 1777, when the Battle of Princeton was fought on the farm fields of Thomas and William Clarke, two Quaker brothers. The battle was part of the Ten Crucial Days, a turning point of the Revolutionary War. It was the first battle for the Marine Corps, and the place where the first marine was killed in combat.

The battle followed the American victory at Trenton on December 26, 1776, when George Washington crossed the Delaware River to defeat the British Army.

The original battle spanned over 1.5 miles of land in Princeton, with fighting ranging from the farms in Stony Brook Village, to what is now the campus of Princeton University. Considered one of the fiercest battles of the war, it resulted in 86 British casualties and approximately 200 soldiers captured, as well as 40 American casualties, including Brigadier General Hugh Mercer, for whom Mercer County was named.

Mr. Fischer told his audience that 50 percent of the British soldiers were wounded or killed on that day in Princeton.

"The blood flowed from the men onto the surface of ice and the field turned red," he said. The Battle of Princeton is so historically significant, he added, that in World War II, an aircraft carrier was named U.S.S. Princeton in honor of the historical event that helped change the outcome of the Revolutionary War.

"Almost everyone on both sides saw this as a turning point," said Mr. Fischer. "What this battle did was save this revolution from a moment of disaster."

For more information on the Princeton Battlefield or to learn how to help preserve the land, visit www.saveprinceton battlefield.org.