(TRENTON) – A resolution sponsored by Assembly Democrats Reed Gusciora, Bonnie Watson Coleman and Daniel R. Benson to preserve the Princeton Battlefield and honor those who fought and died there has been approved by the full Assembly.
br>The resolution (AR-135) supports preserving the Princeton Battlefield, a key battleground in the early years of the Revolutionary War, when George Washington led American forces to an important victory over the Hessian and British garrisons at Trenton and Princeton.
The site of the Princeton Battlefield has been designated a National Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the adjacent area may contain important clues of the battle fought at Princeton. But like many Revolutionary War battlefields located in New Jersey, the Princeton Battlefield is threatened by ongoing development.
“Preserving the Princeton Battlefield honors those who fought there, and recognizes the importance of the Trenton-Princeton campaign in turning the tide of the Revolution as well as the critical role New Jersey played in America’s victory,” said Gusciora (D-Mercer). “In a time when reality shows seem to dictate impressions of our great state, saving the battlefield would serve as a reminder for the rest of the country about New Jersey’s distinguished place in history.”
“It was in New Jersey where hopes for an independent America were reenergized with the victories in Trenton and Princeton,” said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer). “We owe it to those who bravely fought and died on that battlefield, and future generations of New Jerseyans to preserve this remarkable piece of not just New Jersey, but American history.”
“It was Thomas Jefferson who said, ‘A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable,'” said Benson (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “The surrender of British soldiers at the Battle of Princeton improved the morale of Revolutionary troops and was crucial in turning the tide of the war. Let’s not surrender our historic heritage. Let’s preserve the Princeton Battlefield.”
The resolution urges all political entities in the state and owners of the lands where the battle was fought to do all in their power to preserve the hallowed ground of the battlefield and to stop further loss of New Jersey’s historic heritage.
The resolution was approved by a 77-0 vote.
Copies of the resolution will be distributed to the Governor, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, the mayors of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township and the Princeton Battlefield Society.