I have taken Polonie to a visit of the Princeton Battlefield (New Jersey) where in a sneak attack on January 3, 1777 General George Washington leading the Continental Army fought and defeated the British forces. This victory is considered an important milestone in the American War of Independence due to the subsequent loss of control of most of New Jersey by the Crown forces.
The first photo is taken of the Princeton Battle Monument showing George Washington leading his troops to victory. It also depicts the death of General Hugh Mercer, a close friend to Washington and a central figure in the battle.
The second photo shows the Mercer Oak under which Mercer was mortally wounded by an enemy's bayonet. Two things are wrong here: Mercer was actually not found below an oak but just uphill and the tree is not the authentic one either. The original stump is underneath the hardly visible bump on the left hand side in the photo. But at least the new tree is an offspring grown from an acorn of the witness of the battle.
The third photo shows the place of the Thomas Clarke House where Mercer was carried after being wounded and where he died 9 days later. The house in the back is not the original house but a museum containing military artifacts and battle exhibits.
Princes Polonie is now waiting in the Institution Woods adjacent to and south of the Princeton Battle Field to hitch a ride to the next historic place.
[This entry was edited by lrdthomson on Monday, August 03, 2009 at 5:27:50 AM.]