Preservation: Princeton, NJ

This engagement capped-off the Ten Crucial Days - Washington's aggressive counter- offensive that saved the Revolution in the dark days of early 1777. Princeton was the first Continental Army victory over British regular troops. Virginia General Hugh Mercer was bayoneted in the battle. 

Having lost its fight to stop development on part of the battlefield through the planning review process in March, 2012, the Princeton Battlefield Society will now use legal action.  The Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) intends to build faculty housing on a tract of land that is part of the battlefield, adjacent to land owned by Princeton Battlefield State Park. 

The IAS contends that the land was not fought over, but an archaeological survey conducted by the American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service shows conclusively that heavy fighting indeed took place on the ground. It was the site of the American counter-attack, led by Washington in person, that forced the British back. The proposed development violates zoning and wetlands regulations and it is on these issues, not the relevancy of the battle, that the Princeton Battlefield Society hopes to score a victory. 

Princeton is probably the Number 1 preservation priority for Revolutionary sites in the nation.  For more information:

http://theprincetonbattlefieldsociety.com/

To donate to the cause:

http://princetonbattlefieldsociety.ticketleap.com/legal-defense-fund/