Bystander to Battle

Bystander to Battle. The Thomas Clarke House. , Originally built in 1772, the Thomas Clarke House is the only surviving building in the Park that dates to the Battle of Princeton. In the aftermath of the battle, the Clarke family transformed their home into a field hospital, providing aid and comfort to soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

The Clark’s were a third-generation Quaker farming family who owned much of the land surrounding the battlefield site. Thomas Clarke lived in this house with his sister Sarah and a Black woman named Susannah, who was enslaved by the family. His brother William Clarke lived on the adjacent farm in a house that once stood near an orchard on the northeast side of the field.

Quakers were peace-loving people and many, like the Clarkes, believed in non-violence. On January 3, 1777, the family hid in the root cellar of their home while the battle raged around them. American reinforcements led by Colonel John Cadwalader raced past the house to support Brigadier General Hugh Mercer, whose men fought in the opening stage of the battle. Located on a small hill, the Clarke House, and the numerous outbuildings that once surrounded it, provided cover and served as an observation post and rallying point after Mercer‘s retreat from the William Clarke Farm. As the fighting died down, the property became a makeshift field hospital. Among those cared for here was Mercer himself, who succumbed to his wounds after nine days.

The Quakers and Slavery
With their belief in the equality of all individuals, Quakers were among the earliest advocates for the abolition of slavery. However, the practice was so deeply embedded in every day colonial life that many Quaker communities were divided on the issue. Some families, such as the Clarkes, continued to enslave individuals through the 18th century. When the battle took place, Susannah was here at the Thomas Clarke House, where she cared for wounded soldiers after the battle. The Clarkes manumitted her - freeing her from slavery - in 1779.

Produced with the support of an award of Federal funds from the American Battlefield Protection Program, administered by the National Park Service.

[Caption]:
Illustration by Dale Watson