This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Union Forces Burn Princeton in 1862 Civil War Skirmish
In May 1862 Union regiments under future presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley fought a 13 hour battle through Mercer County to force Confederate evacuation of Princeton. Jenifer fires the town to deny supplies, destroying the Mercer County Courthouse while only the jail and 10 homes survive. The action coincides with broader moves against the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. Lewisburg fell weeks later. Federal troops retreated to Flat Top Mountain as Lincoln recalled forces to defend Richmond.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore and Ohio
B&o
Virginia and
Tennessee
Virginia
Present-Day
West
Rutherford Hayes
William McKinley
Mercer County
Princeton
W. H. Jenifer
Jenifer
Greenbrier
Lewisburg
Virginia and Tennessee
Top Mountain
Abraham Lincoln
Richmond