The Decisive Battles of World History

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the Americans immediately, but believing that he had Washington

trapped, Cornwallis rejected the advice.

x Washington was indeed deeply worried that the next day’s battle

would see his army caught with their backs to the river. Again,

he decided on a bold nocturnal maneuver that would surprise and

outwit his enemy. He gave orders for his army to sneak away from

Trenton during the night, to march in a dangerously exposed path

all the way around Cornwallis’s sleeping army, and to fall upon the

British reserve left at Princeton.

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with cloths, and the soldiers were ordered to observe strict silence.

The army remained undetected, and by dawn on January 3, the

leading elements were approaching Princeton.

x The Battle of Princeton was much more of a conventional

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than either Trenton or Assunpink Creek had been. Across an open

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followed by charges and countercharges.

x At one point, Washington, conspicuous on his grey horse, rallied the

faltering American lines by dangerously exposing himself to British

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prevailed against the outnumbered British, and Washington scored

yet another brilliant victory. In some ways, this one was even more

inspiring because it had shown that the American militia could go

toe-to-toe with the British regulars and defeat them.

Outcomes

x The Revolutionary War continued for several more years, until

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Yorktown in 1781. But the true turning point was the twin victories