VA, USA
Hugh Mercer Killed at Battle of Princeton
January 3, 1777
Brigadier General Hugh Mercer was fatally bayoneted at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777, when British soldiers, believing him to be Washington, refused to accept his surrender and attacked him. He died of his wounds nine days later. His death shocked Fredericksburg and the broader Patriot cause.
People Involved
Scottish physician who fled Scotland after Culloden, settled in Fredericksburg, became a close friend of Washington, and rose to Brigadier General in the Continental Army. Fatally wounded at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777, after being mistaken for Washington by British soldiers. One of the most admired officers the Revolution lost.
George Washington's widowed mother, who moved to a house in Fredericksburg in 1772 and lived there until her death in 1789. Maintained a complicated relationship with her famous son throughout the war years, repeatedly requesting his presence in Fredericksburg while he was occupied with military command.