Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-02-23
same time that Washington entered it at the

Both divisions pushed forward, keeping up
a running fire with light arms, meeting with
but little opposition, until the enemy were
driven eastward in Second street, near the
Presbyterian Church, where there was some
fighting, the enemy having made momentary
stand but finding themselves hemmed in and
overpowered they laid down their arms on the
field between the Presbyterian Church and
Park place, then called the old Iron Works.
Gen. Rail-, who commanded the Hessians
and had his headquarters at the house of Sta
cy Potts, opposite Perry street, on the west
side of Warren Occupied for many years as
tavern was mortally wounded early in the
engagement, being shot from his horse, while
exerting himself to form his dismayed and dis
ordered troops, but where or by whom is not
at present known by the writer. He has heard
several statements on these subjects, but no
two of them agree When, supported by
file of sergeants, he presented his sword to
Gen. Washington, (whose countenance beam
ed with compacency at the success of the day.
he was pale, bleeding, and covered with blood,
and, in broken accents, he seemed to implore
those attentions which the victor was we'll dis
posed to bestow upon him. He was taken to
his headquarters, (Stacy Potts's,) where he
died of his wound.
"The number Of prisoners was 90 officers
and 886 privates stand of colors, II drums,
6 brass field pieces, and 1000 stand of arms
and accoutrements, were the trophies of victo-
ry. The British Lighthouse, and 400 or 500
HesSanS escaped at the beginning of the bat
tle over the bridge across the ASsunpnk, at
Trent's Mills, aud fed to Bordentown. If
Gen. Ewing, whose divisions of the army were
opposite Trenton had been able to cross the
Delaware, as contemplated, and take posses
sion of the bridge on the Assunpink, all the
enemy that were in Trenton would have been
captured but there was so much ice on, the
shores of the river, that it was impossible to
get the artillery over" The Hessans lost Z
officers, and 20 or 80 men killed "a of these
were buried in one pit, in the Presbyterian
buryngground, by the American troops
Immediately after the victory, which great
ly revived the dropping spirits of the army,
Gen. Washington commenced marching his
prisoners up to the eight mile for NJ M'Konkey's)
ferry and before night all were safely landed
on the western shore of the Delaware. But
Mr.. Muirhead (before mentioned) said that
General W.. would not suffer man to cross,
more than was necessary, until all the prison
ers were over. The Americans lost two pri-
Yates killed, and two were frozen to DEATH
The late Mr. Richard Scudder informed the
writer, that the night after the taking of. the
Hessians, several of the American soldiers,
worn down and poorly clad, and having suffer
ed much from the cold, stayed at his fathers
house, which is about two miles below the fer
~ that several of them were very sick in the
night, and that two or three died Might not
these have been the persons referred TO III his
tory as having frozen to death
The next day, the British that were at
Princeton, marched on to Trenton in pursuit of
the American army, and went up the Scotch
road as far as Mr. Benjamin Clarks, now Ed
ward S. MIlvan's, Esq, and inquired which
route General Washington had taken and be-
ing Informed that he had gone with his prison
ers up the river road they compelled their son,
John Clark. a lad of II years, to guide them
across to Birmingham (some of the Ameri-
can soldiers were at this time in Clarks house,
His mother, with true Spartan courage, unwil-
ling to trust her son with the enemy, pursued
the British and got him released. Soon after,
the British, finding Washington had crossed
the Delaware, returned to Princeton.