Battle of Princeton, battle of the American Revolution (1775-1783), fought at Princeton, New Jersey, on January 3, 1777. The forces of General George Washington defeated Hessian troops, German mercenaries allied with the British, in the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776. One week later British forces under General Charles Cornwallis advanced along the Delaware River to attack Washington's troops. To thwart British plans, Washington's army on the night of January 2, 1777, moved quickly and quietly around the enemy, leaving the American campfires burning. The next morning Washington advanced toward Princeton, where, joined by reinforcements, he defeated a British regiment that was marching to join Cornwallis. Because he was outmaneuvered, Cornwallis withdrew the British forces to New Brunswick, New Jersey, and thus was prevented from entering Philadelphia. Washington and his men spent the rest of the winter in Morristown, New Jersey. The British defeat at Trenton and Princeton helped raise American morale.