esperate. Washington was in the midst of
it; equally endangered by the random fire of his own men and the
artillery and musketry of the enemy. Mawhood by this time had forced
his way at the point of the bayonet through gathering foes, though
with heavy loss, back to the main road, and was in full retreat
towards Trenton to join Cornwallis. Washington detached Major Kelly
with a party of Pennsylvania troops to destroy the bridge at Stony
Brook, over which Mawhood had retreated, so as to impede the advance
of General Leslie from Maiden Head.

In the meantime the 55th regiment, which had been on the left and
nearer Princeton, had been encountered by the American advance-guard
under General St. Clair, and after some sharp fighting in a ravine had
given way and was retreating across fields and along a by-road to
Brunswick. The remaining regiment, the 40th, had not been able to come
up in time for the action; a part of it fled toward Brunswick; the
residue took refuge in the college at Princeton, recently occupied by
them as barracks. Artillery was now brought to bear on the college,
and a few shot compelled those within to surrender.

In this brief but brilliant action about one hundred of the British
were left dead on the field, and nearly three hundred taken prisoners,
fourteen of whom were officers. The loss of the Americans was about
twenty-five or thirty men and several officers. Among the latter was
Colonel Haslet, who had distinguished himself throughout the campaign
by being among the foremost in services of danger. A greater loss was
that of General Mercer. He was said to be either dead or dying in the
house of Mr. Clark, whither he had been conveyed by his aide-de-camp,
Major Armstrong. Washington would have ridden back from Princeton to
visit him and have him conveyed to a place of greater security, but
was assured that, if alive, he was too desperately wounded to bear
removal.

Under these circumstances Washington felt compelled to leave his old
companion in arms to his fate. Indeed, he was called away by the
exigencies of his command, having to pursue the routed regiments which
were making a headlong retreat to Brunswick. In this pursuit he took
the lead at the head of a detachment of cavalry. At Kingston, however,
three miles to the northeast of Princeton, he pulled up, restrained
his ardor, and held a council of war on horseback. Should he keep on
to Brunswick or not? The capture of the British stores and b