The Battle of Princeton was a battle in the American Revolutionary War. On January 3, 1777, George Washington's Continental Army surprised and won by attacking the British and Hessian armies led by Charles Marwood of Princeton.

After Washington's surprise victory at Trenton on December 26, 1776, he decided to attack the British in New Jersey before bringing his troops back to their winter camp. He crossed the Delaware River on December 30.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Cornwallis sent three regiments of the 4th Brigade with 1,400 men to the rear of Princeton. On January 2, 1777, Cornwallis was ordered by General William Howe to lead 6,000 men from Princeton to Trenton for a counterattack. However, Washington's army was very mobile and avoided the British counterattack to delay the decisive battle. Finally, he placed his army on the south bank of a canyon. The British tried to capture the bridge over the canyon many times to attack the Americans, but were repelled by the Americans. When it got dark, Cornwallis decided to let his soldiers rest and wait until dawn before attacking. He did not listen to his non-commissioned officer's advice that Washington was particularly mobile.

Washington took advantage of the darkness to leave a few men to tend the campfire and make some noise, but he himself evacuated with a large group. It was so cold that the river was icy that even guns could be carried on the river. Washington bypassed the British south and went to Princeton.

On January 3, 1777, the U.S. and British troops exchanged fire many times in Princeton. But Washington was able to engage only a portion of the British army at a time. At that time, there were 7000 people in Washington (although only about 1600 were in combat), and there were only 1800 British troops in Princeton. Eighty-six British soldiers were killed, and more than 40 U.S. troops were wounded or killed.

The U.S. military victories in Trenton and Princeton greatly improved U.S. military morale and inspired more than 8,000 people to join the U.S. military.

After the Battle of Princeton, Cornwallis resigned many of his posts in New Jersey and ordered his troops to retreat to the New Brunswick Concentration. According to statistics, in this battle that turned the tide of the North American war, a total of 276 British troops were killed. The Battle of Princeton greatly boosted the morale of the American army, and 8,000 recruits were drafted into the army.

American historians generally consider the Battle of Princeton, like the Battle of Turlington, to be a great victory for the American army. In fact, after the Battle of Princeton, the Royal British Army lost control of most of New Jersey. The battle also had important political implications for France and Spain, which led to increased assistance to the American army after the Battle of Princeton. Frederick the Great of Germany even described General Washington's record during that period as "the most brilliant victory in military history".

Oil painting "Washington Strives to Cross the Delaware River"

Trington is now the capital of New Jersey, USA. Washington Crossing Historic Park was later established on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River where Washington's team crossed the river.

Like the subsequent battles of Turlington and Princeton, Washington's crossing of the Delaware River was an important event in the history of the American Revolutionary War. As famous as this event is the huge oil painting completed by the German-American Emanuel Leutze in 1851, called "Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River".