The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777

In late November 1776, the “threadbare and dying” (586) American army, reduced to about 5,400 men, began a desperate retreat through New Jersey, pursued by British forces under Cornwallis. The Americans were demoralized, poorly clothed, and plagued by desertion. Washington’s troops passed through towns like New Brunswick and Trenton as British columns looted and occupied areas in their wake. Refugees and loyalists mingled in the countryside, some switching allegiances in exchange for amnesty and payments.

Thomas Paine, marching with the army, began drafting a new pamphlet to revive patriot morale, having already stirred the American cause with Common Sense, and “an indictment of the British body politic” (588). Meanwhile, General Washington tried to maintain a rear guard and delay the enemy with artillery units, including one commanded by Captain Alexander Hamilton. Despite the army’s exhaustion and the expiration of enlistments, Washington kept retreating to protect Philadelphia and regroup. He also grew exasperated with General Lee’s “increasingly erratic, bickering behavior” (590). On December 1, two brigades’ enlistments expired, and 2,000 men left. Washington’s force dwindled to fewer than 3,000. British troops, slowed by logistics and overextended lines, halted at New Brunswick. Howe chose not to push further that winter, citing tired men and stretched supply lines.