NJ, USA
Death of General Hugh Mercer
January 12, 1777
General Hugh Mercer, wounded by bayonet during the Battle of Princeton on January 3, was carried to the nearby Thomas Clarke farmhouse where he received medical attention. Despite treatment by physicians including Benjamin Rush, Mercer died on January 12 from his wounds.
Mercer's death became a rallying symbol for the American cause. A Scottish immigrant and physician who had fought at Culloden before emigrating, Mercer represented the international dimension of the Revolution. His willingness to fight and die for a country not his by birth resonated with a cause that claimed universal principles. The city of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and Mercer County, New Jersey, bear his name.
People Involved
Scottish-born physician and Continental brigadier general who was bayoneted by British troops at the Battle of Princeton and died nine days later. Mercer's stand at the orchard south of town bought time for Washington to bring up reinforcements.
Philadelphia physician who tended to the wounded at Princeton and left detailed accounts of the battle and its aftermath. Rush's letters describe the condition of both American and British casualties.