The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777

The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777
The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777
Artist	John Trumbull
Year	c. 1787–c. 1831
Medium	oil on canvas
Dimensions	51.1 cm × 75.9 cm (20.125 in × 29.875 in)
Location	Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut

The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777 is the title of an oil painting by the American artist John Trumbull depicting the death of the American General Hugh Mercer at the Battle of Princeton on Friday, January 3, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. The painting was Trumbull’s first depiction of an American victory.^[1] It is one of a series of historical paintings on the war, which also includes the Declaration of Independence and The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776.^[2]

The artist expressed his great admiration for General George Washington in this painting as he wrote in the catalogue for his exhibited works at Yale University in 1835:

Thus, in the short space of nine days, an extensive country, an entire State, was wrested from the hands of a victorious enemy, superior in numbers, in arms and in discipline, by the wisdom, activity and energy of one great mind.^[3]

It was a personal favorite of Trumbull himself. When asked by Benjamin Silliman which paintings he would save from destruction in the Trumbull Gallery at Yale, he said this one.^[1]^[4]

Trumbull used the General's son, Hugh Jr., as a model for the painting.^[5]

^ ^a ^b Cooper, Helen A. (2008). Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-0-300-12289-3.
^ "The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776". Yale University Art Gallery.
^ Trumbull, John (1835). Catalogue of Paintings, by Colonel Trumbull; Including Eight Subjects of the American Revolution, with Near Two Hundred and Fifty Portraits of Persons Distinguished in That Important Period. Painted by Him from the Life. Gallery of Yale College. pp. 19–22.
^ Cite error: The named reference artstor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Hugh Mercer, Jr. (Study for "The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777")". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[yale-1] Cooper, Helen A. (2008). Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-0-300-12289-3.

[2] "The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776". Yale University Art Gallery.

[trumbull-3] Trumbull, John (1835). Catalogue of Paintings, by Colonel Trumbull; Including Eight Subjects of the American Revolution, with Near Two Hundred and Fifty Portraits of Persons Distinguished in That Important Period. Painted by Him from the Life. Gallery of Yale College. pp. 19–22.

[artstor-4] Cite error: The named reference artstor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] "Hugh Mercer, Jr. (Study for "The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777")". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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