Attending a new American Revolution Reenactment is always fun. You don't know what to expect. This time it was the Battle of Princeton on the first Sunday in January. This event has occurred sporadically over the years. One of my photo friends said to leave home at the site early, by 7:00 am. It was around 6:30 am when I started from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. The drive took me about 80 minutes. There was no traffic, so I was cruising, listening to the music of Bob Dylan. I arrived around 7:30 am, which I'm glad I did because parking was limited. I saw old friends, made some new ones, and by chance, spoke with the Executive Director of Ft. Mifflin in Philadelphia. I had a great day.

After parking and wandering around, I spotted the Thomas Clarke House. Here is where American General Hugh Mercer was wounded in the battle, carried to the field hospital, and died nine days later.

Thomas Clarke House-where American General Hugh Mercer died from his wounds in 1777.

Below shows the crowd gathering as the reenactment was starting. The news said there were about 800 spectators. This reenactment was unusual because it began early at 9:30 am and ended around 2:00 pm, with the reenactment starting at 10:00 am. That's early! Wawa the convenience store headquarted near my home was there to provide free coffee. On a cold day it tasted perfect.

With this photo, I envisioned first how to construct it. I was on the main road looking down at the sloped open field. I moved around until I could capture the crowd, road sign, and the most challenging part, some reenactors in the photo. It created a special triangle effect.

I don't have a photo like this before, I believe. It shows the flash when the flint struck the steel lip igniting the black powder in the flash pan. It's just before the flash explosion. It's incredible with photos that you can see something in a new way that your eyes cannot! 
Only eight days after George Washington's victory, Hessian forces garrisoned in Trenton, New Jersey, defeated a force of British troops near Princeton, New Jersey. Although the two battles of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton were relatively small, they did help the morale of the patriot cause and helped increase many recruits to join the Continental Army. The photo below gives an idea of how the battle might have looked.

With all the muskets & cannons blasting away, it was hard to see clearly with the swirling wind and blowing smoke. During a real battle, it was almost impossible to see anything.

At any reenactment with cannons, I will capture a few good shots of flashes from at least one. I posted 11 in this gallery. At no previous reenactment event did I ever have so many excellent cannon photos. Here is the photo gallery link American Revolution Photos |Battle of Princeton 2023

Thank you for reading! 

Blog # 57 will be posted in March 2023. Be safe & well!

Ken Bohrer