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Hugh Mercer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Confederate general, see Hugh W. Mercer.

Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer[1]
Born(1726-01-16)16 January 1726
Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Died12 January 1777(1777-01-12) (aged 50)
Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
Place of burial
Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance Jacobites
 Great Britain
 United States
Service / branch Jacobite Army
Pennsylvania Militia
Continental Army
Years of serviceJacobite Army (1745–1746)
Pennsylvania Militia (1755–1776)
Continental Army (1776–1777)
RankBrigadier general (Continental Army)
Battles / wars
Alma materUniversity of Aberdeen
RelationsHugh W. Mercer (grandson)
Johnny Mercer and George S. Patton (great-great-great grandsons)
Other workSurgeon, apothecary

Hugh Mercer (January 16, 1726 – January 12, 1777) was a Scottish brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the New York and New Jersey campaign and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Princeton.

He was born in Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and studied medicine at the University of Aberdeen. He served as an assistant surgeon in Charles Edward Stuart's army during the Battle of Culloden in the Jacobite rising of 1745.

After the failed uprising, Mercer escaped to the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania, where he lived in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, which is present-day Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and Fredericksburg, Virginia. He worked as a physician, and established an apothecary. He served alongside George Washington in the provincial troops during the French and Indian War, and he and Washington became close friends.

Early life and education

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Mercer was born on January 16, 1726, in Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire, Scotland[2] to Ann Monro and the Reverend William Mercer, a minister in the Church of Scotland.[3]

At age 15, he began studying medicine at the University of Aberdeen's Marischal College, and graduated as a physician in 1744.[4] He served as an assistant surgeon in the army of Charles Edward Stuart during the Jacobite rising of 1745, and was present at the Battle of Culloden when Charles' army was defeated on 16 April 1746.[5]

As a fugitive in his homeland in 1747, Mercer fled Scotland after months in hiding.[6] In the fall of 1746, he departed Leith by ship and sailed to Philadelphia. He settled in Pennsylvaniva near Greencastle, now known as Mercersburg, and practiced medicine as a physician and apothecary[7] for eight years.[8]

French and Indian War

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Further information: French and Indian War
The Kentucky land grant to heirs of Mercer for military service of George Weedon during the French and Indian War signed by then Virginia governor Thomas Jefferson in 1780

After the French and Indian War broke out in 1754, Mercer joined the Pennsylvania Provincial Forces.[9] In 1755, Mercer served as a captain in General Edward Braddock's army in his failed attempt to take Fort Duquesne. He was wounded in the arm[10] during the battle and left behind in the scramble to retreat. He was able to rejoin his troops and continued to treat wounded soldiers.[11] In March 1756, he was commissioned a captain in a Pennsylvania regiment,[12] and took command of Fort Shirley. He accompanied Lt. Col. John Armstrong in the Kittanning Expedition in September 1756.[13]

In the fighting at Kittanning, Mercer was badly wounded and separated from his unit. He trekked 100 miles (160 km) through the woods for 14 days, injured and with no supplies, before he "lay down, giving up all hopes of ever getting home." A "company of Cherokee Indians in kings pay" found him and carried him to Fort Lyttleton, where he recovered.[14]: 164–65  In 1757, he was placed in charge of the garrison at Shippensburg and promoted to Major.[13] It was during this period that Mercer developed a lifelong friendship with George Washington.[15]

Both Washington and Mercer served in the Forbes Expedition under British General John Forbes during the second attempt to capture Fort Duquesne.[13] Forbes occupied the burned fort on 25 November 1758. Forbes immediately ordered the construction of a new fortification to be named Fort Pitt, after British Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder. He also named the settlement between the rivers "Pittsborough", modern Pittsburgh.[16] Mercer built a temporary fort during construction of Fort Pitt, informally known as "Mercer's Fort". It was dismantled in 1760.[17]: 119 

American Revolution

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Hugh Mercer Apothecary in Fredericksburg, Virginia

At the recommendation of Washington, Mercer moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia[15] in 1760 to practice medicine after the war. He befriended another Scottish expatriate, John Paul Jones.[18] Mercer became a noted member and businessman in town, buying land and involving himself in local trade. He married Isabella Gordon and started a family.[9]

He became a member of the Fredericksburg Masonic Lodge in 1767. Washington, who was also a member of this lodge, later became president, and at least eight members were generals of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War: Washington, Mercer, George Weedon, William Woodford, Fielding Lewis, Thomas Posey, Gustavus Wallace, and the Marquis de Lafayette, who named an honorary general in 1824, far more than any other group, institution, or organization during the Revolutionary War. The lodge is still in existence today.[19]

Soon after, Mercer opened a physician's apothecary and practice.[20] His apothecary in Fredericksburg, Virginia is now a museum.[21] George Washington's mother, Mary Washington, became one of Mercer's patients, and Mercer prospered as a respected doctor in the area. Mercer married Isabella Gordon and together they had five children: Ann Mercer Patton, John Mercer, William Mercer, George Weedon Mercer, and Hugh Tennant Mercer.[22]

In 1774, George Washington sold Ferry Farm, his childhood home, to Mercer, who wanted to make this prized land into a town where he and his family would settle for the remainder of his days.[23]

During 1775, Mercer was a member of the Fredericksburg Committee of Safety, and on April 25, he was one of the members of the Independent Company of the Town of Fredericksburg who sent a letter of concern to then Colonel George Washington when the British removed gunpowder from the magazine at Williamsburg. In an August vote, Mercer was excluded from the elected leadership of the new regiments formed by the Virginia Convention because he was a "northern Briton",[24] but on 12 September, he was elected Colonel of the Minute Men of Spotsylvania, King George, Stafford, and Caroline Counties.[25]

On November 17, 1775, Mercer was one of 21 members chosen for the Committee of Safety for Spotsylvania County. On January 10, 1776, Mercer was appointed colonel to what soon became the 3rd Virginia Regiment of the Virginia Line,[26] and the next day, George Weedon was appointed lieutenant colonel.[27] Future president James Monroe and future Chief Justice of the United States John Marshall also served as officers under his command.

American Revolutionary War

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On June 5, 1776, Mercer received a letter from the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, signed by John Hancock, appointing him brigadier-general in the Armies of the United Colonies and requesting him to report to headquarters in New York immediately.[28]

Mercer was placed in charge of a large troop of Pennsylvania Militia stationed in Paulus Hook, New Jersey to protect from potential attack from British troops in Staten Island.[29]

Before the New York City Campaign, Washington had ordered two forts built to repel the Royal Navy. On the New York side of the Hudson River, Fort Washington was constructed, and Mercer himself oversaw the building of the earthen fortification on the New Jersey side, named Fort Lee.[30] The British captured Fort Washington on 16 November 1776, and the Americans abandoned Fort Lee four days later.[31] The retreat to New Jersey became known as "the Crisis of the Revolution", because the enlistments of most of Washington's soldiers ended on New Year's Day 1777.[32]

Mercer led a raid on Richmondtown, Staten Island on October 15, 1776, temporarily securing the town and taking as prisoners those inside the makeshift hospital of St. Andrew's Church, but was repelled back to New Jersey, releasing the prisoners and causing numerous British casualties in the process.[33]

Some historical accounts credit Mercer with the suggestion for George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, which resulted in a surprise attack on the Hessians at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776.[34] The victory at Trenton (and a small monetary bonus) made Washington's men agree to a ten-day extension to their enlistment. When Washington decided to face off with Cornwallis during the Second Battle of Trenton on January 2, 1777, Mercer was given a major role in the defense of the city.[35]

Death

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Further information: Battle of Princeton and Mercer Oak
The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777, a portrait by John Trumbull featuring Mercer's death and George Washington on the horse
Mercer Memorial at the Thomas Clarke House in Princeton, New Jersey, where Mercer was treated after being bayonetted by British troops at the Battle of Princeton
Mercer's remains were reinterred from Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia to Laurel Hill Cemetery in 1840, where a monument funded by the Saint Andrew's Society marks his gravesite.

The next day, January 3, 1777, Washington's army was en route to the Battle of Princeton. While leading a vanguard of 350 soldiers, Mercer's brigade encountered two British regiments and a mounted unit. A fight broke out at an orchard grove and Mercer's horse was shot from under him. Getting to his feet, he was quickly surrounded by British troops who mistook him for George Washington and ordered him to surrender. Outnumbered, he drew his saber and began an unequal contest. He was finally beaten to the ground, bayoneted seven times, and left for dead.[36]

When he learned of the British attack and saw some of Mercer's men in retreat, Washington himself entered the fray. Washington rallied Mercer's men and pushed back the British regiments, but Mercer had been left on the field to die with multiple bayonet wounds to his body and blows to his head. Legend has it that a beaten Mercer, with a bayonet still impaled in him, did not want to leave his men and the battle and was given a place to rest on a white oak tree's trunk, and those who remained with him stood their ground. The tree became known as "the Mercer Oak" and is the key element of the seal of Mercer County, New Jersey.[37]

When he was found, Mercer was carried to the field hospital in the Thomas Clarke House, now a museum. at the eastern end of the battlefield. Benjamin Rush cared for Mercer and other wounded troops. Rush was assisted in caring for the wounded by Quakers.

Local Quakers continued to care for wounded troops from both Continental and British forces, after the Continental Army moved North. The Quaker meeting house is adjacent to the property now known as Princeton Battlefield State Park. Medical efforts were made by Rush to save Mercer,[38] but he was mortally wounded and died nine days later, on January 12, 1777.

Interment

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Mercer was initially interred in the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. In 1840, he was reinterred in Laurel Hill Cemetery,[39] including a memorial monument funded by the Saint Andrew's Society.[8]

Because of Mercer's courage and sacrifice, Washington proceeded into Princeton, where he and the Continental Army defeated British forces in the Battle of Princeton. Washington then moved and quartered his forces in Morristown following the victory.[40] Because of those victories, most of Washington's army re-enlisted, the French finally approved arms and supplies to the Americans, and a stunned Cornwallis pulled his forces back to New York to reassess the surprising military victories by Washington and his Continental Army. The crisis ended, demonstrating that Washington and his army had the means to fight, and British public support for continued engagement in the war began waning.

John Trumbull used Mercer's son, Hugh Jr., as a model for his portrait The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777.[41]

A second portrait by Charles Willson Peale, Washington at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777, displays Washington in the foreground with Hugh Mercer lying mortally wounded in the background, supported by Dr. Benjamin Rush and Major George Lewis holding the American flag. This portrait is the prize possession of Princeton University. Peale painted a version of Battle of Princeton, whose background shows a very indistinct portrait of Mercer being helped from the ground.[42]

Family

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Succeeding generations of Mercer's family have distinguished themselves. Famous direct descendants of Hugh Mercer were his grandson Virginia governor John Mercer Patton, his sons Confederate Lt. Col Waller T. Patton and Col. George Smith Patton, who in turn was an ancestor of General George S. Patton, Jr. Other direct descendants include another grandson Confederate General Hugh Weedon Mercer (CSA), songwriter Johnny Mercer, and Sergeant Christopher Mercer Lowe of the U.S. Army.[43]

Descendants of Hugh Mercer
Notable descendants of Hugh Mercer
Reverend William Mercer
Hugh Mercer
Hugh Tennant Weedon MercerAnn Gordon Mercer
Hugh Weedon MercerJohn M. Patton
George Anderson Mercer (1835-1907)George S. Patton Sr.Waller T. Patton
George Anderson Mercer (1869-1940)George S. Patton Jr.
Johnny MercerGen. George S. Patton
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Namesakes

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  • General Hugh Mercer Memorial Statue, Washington Avenue Historic District, Fredericksburg, Virginia
    General Hugh Mercer Memorial Statue, Washington Avenue Historic District, Fredericksburg, Virginia
  • Charles Wilson Peale portrait of Washington; Mercer; Rush and Lewis
    Charles Wilson Peale portrait of Washington; Mercer; Rush and Lewis
  • James Peale's The Battle of Princeton. background left can be seen Mercer beside his white horse
    James Peale's The Battle of Princeton. background left can be seen Mercer beside his white horse

References

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Citations

  1. ^ Note this image of General Hugh Mercer (1726-1777) is erroneously labeled as Nova Scotia Governor Peregrine Hopson in the Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society. Vol. XVI. Halifax: Wm. Macnab & Son. 1912. p. 1.
  2. ^ "General Hugh Mercer, January 16, 1726 - January 12, 1777". www.americanhistorycentral.com. R.Squared Communication, LLC. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 12.
  4. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 13.
  5. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 14.
  6. ^ "Hugh Mercer". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 23.
  8. ^ a b c MacDougall, Donald John (1917). Scots and Scots' Descendants in America, Volume 1. Caledonian Publishing Company. pp. 39–40. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "The Tale of Two Mercers". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. September 6, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Lossing, John Benson. Potter's American Monthly; an illustrated magazine of history, literature, science, and art. Philadelphia: John E. Potter and Company. p. 70. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  11. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 26.
  12. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 27.
  13. ^ a b c Goolrick 1906, p. 28.
  14. ^ Robert Robison, "Colonel J. Armstrong's Attack on the Kittaning", in A Selection of some of the most interesting narratives of outrages committed by the Indians in their wars with the white people, Archibald Loudon, ed. Carlisle: A. Loudon Press, 1811
  15. ^ a b Goolrick 1906, pp. 28–29.
  16. ^ Lorant, Stefan (1999). Pittsburgh, The Story of an American City. Larsen's Outdoor Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 978-0967410302.
  17. ^ Stotz, Charles Morse. Drums in the Forest: Decision at the Forks, Defense in the Wilderness. University of Pittsburgh Pre, 2005.
  18. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 30.
  19. ^ "History of Lodge 4". Fredericksburg Masonic Lodge #4. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  20. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 31.
  21. ^ "Hugh Mercer Apothecary". APVA Preservation Virginia. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2008.
  22. ^ Goolrick 1906, pp. 105–106.
  23. ^ * Levy, Philip (2013). Where the Cherry Tree Grew, The Story of Ferry Farm, George Washington's Boyhood Home. Macmillan. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-2500-2314-8.
  24. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 40.
  25. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 42.
  26. ^ Goolrick 1906, pp. 41–42.
  27. ^ Goolrick 1906, p. 38.
  28. ^ Goolrick 1906, pp. 45–47.
  29. ^ Goolrick 1906, pp. 47–48.
  30. ^ Kwasny 1996, p. 72.
  31. ^ Kwasny 1996, p. 83.
  32. ^ Kwasny 1996, pp. 84–85.
  33. ^ Morris, Ira K. (1898). Morris's Memorial History of Staten Island, New York, Volume 1. New York: Memorial Publishing Company. pp. 219–220. ISBN 978-1-5485-8202-9. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  34. ^ Goolrick 1906, pp. 48–49.
  35. ^ Stryker, William S. (1898). The Battles of Trenton and Princeton. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. p. 304.
  36. ^ Kwasny 1996, pp. 103–104.
  37. ^ Mark Mayo Boatner (1975). Landmarks of the American Revolution: a guide to locating and knowing what happened at the sites of independence. Hawthorn Books. p. 207. ISBN 9780801543906.
  38. ^ Atkinson, Rick (2019). The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-1-62779-044-4. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  39. ^ Yaster, Carol; Wolgemuth, Rachel (2017). Laurel Hill Cemetery. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-4671-2655-7. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  40. ^ Fischer, David Hackett (2006). Washington's Crossing. Oxford University Press. p. 342. ISBN 0-19-518159-X.
  41. ^ "Hugh Mercer, Jr. (Study for "The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777")". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  42. ^ Site of Moulder's Battery
  43. ^ Lowe, Christopher. "Descendant of a north-east born American war hero returns for Fraserburgh exhibit". The Press and Journal. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  44. ^ "The Crossing (TV Movie 2000)". www.imdb.com. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  45. ^ "The Official Page For The Music of Hamilton: The Musical". Archived from the original on October 4, 2015.
  46. ^ Marilla Thomas, Leah (March 10, 2024). "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Recap: Follow Your Bliss, Rick". Vulture.
  47. ^ Lee, Francis Bazley (1907). Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County New Jersey. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 125. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  48. ^ a b "Hugh Mercer's Fredericksburg". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. October 3, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  49. ^ a b c d e Gannett, Henry (1905). The origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 205. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  50. ^ The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. p. 36.
  51. ^ Lee, Francis Bazley (1907). Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County New Jersey. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 128. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  52. ^ "Historic Buildings of the University of Mary Washington". www.buildings.umwblogs.org. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  53. ^ "Maine an Encyclopedia - Mercer". www.maineanencyclopedia.com. Publius Research. January 21, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  54. ^ Feirstein, Sanna (2001). Naming New York: Manhattan Places & How They Got Their Names. New York: New York University Press. p. 70. ISBN 0-8147-2711-5. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  55. ^ "Trenton Historical Society, New Jersey".
  56. ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 410.

Sources

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