Minuteman Minute | The Philadelphia Associators at the Battle of Princeton

The Philadelphia Associators played a crucial role in the Battle of Princeton, the third American victory in ten crucial days that saved the cause of independence.

Hi, I’m Will Roulett, director of the National Guard Memorial Museum in D.C., and this is YOUR Minuteman Minute! Today, I’m at Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton, New Jersey. Following American victories at Trenton, the Continental Army slipped away from British forces and set its sights on Princeton. The Americans, including the Philadelphia Associators, reached the outskirts of town early on the morning of Jan 3., 1777. The Associators were a voluntary militia organization formed in December 1747 by Benjamin Franklin. By the American Revolution, the organization had grown to multiple battalions across several Pennsylvania counties and was led by John Cadwalader. Most of the Associators had missed the fighting at Trenton, and the Battle of Princeton would be their first time facing British Regulars in the open. During that cold, dark January morning, Washington’s army silently approached Princeton but ran into a British force under Lt. Col. Charles Mawhood. The British quickly sent Americans under the command of Gen. Hugh Mercer running. Chaos greeted Cadwalader and the Associators as they approached the enemy, momentarily sending them into disarray. Just then, Washington arrived with reinforcements and inspired the Associators to reform near the Thomas Clark House, saying, “Parade with us, my brave fellows! There is but a handful of the enemy, and we will have them directly.” American fire and the advance that followed were enough to collapse the British line and send them retreating through Princeton. This was the third American victory in ten crucial days, considered a turning point in the war. Today, the two units in the Pennsylvania National Guard trace their lineage to those who fought at Princeton: the 1st Battalion of the 111th Infantry and the 103rd Engineer Battalion. Come learn about this – and a whole lot more – at Princeton Battlefield State Park. I’m Will Roulett, and that’s been your Minuteman Minute, brought to you by the National Guard Educational Foundation.