General Hugh Mercer - PLAQUE
Mercer, Mercer County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
In memory of General Hugh Mercer. Born in Scotland, Colonel on General Forbes Expedition against Fort Duquesne 1758, Commander at Fort Pitt 1759, Colonel 3rd Virginia Regiment 1776, Brigadier General Continental army 1776, killed in the Battle of Princeton 1777.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Hugh Mercer, a Scottish-born physician turned soldier, first crossed the mountains as an officer in General Forbes's 1758 expedition against Fort Duquesne and later commanded at Fort Pitt. When the Revolution came he took up arms again, rising to brigadier general in the Continental Army. He fell mortally wounded at the Battle of Princeton in 1777, becoming one of the cause's celebrated martyrs.
Why it matters
Mercer's death at Princeton helped rally the Revolution at a desperate hour, and his career links Pennsylvania's frontier wars to the fight for independence.
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Related people
- · Hugh Mercer
Related events
- · Battle of Princeton
- · Forbes Expedition
Themes & tags
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