Hugh Mercer

Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer, Jr. Sketch by John Trumbull
Born	(1726-01-17)January 17, 1726 Pitsligo Kirk, Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Died	January 12, 1777(1777-01-12) (aged 50) Princeton, New Jersey
Place of burial	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia
Allegiance	Jacobite  United States
Service/branch	Jacobite army Colonial militia  United States Army
Years of service	Jacobite army:1745–1746 Colonial militia: 1755–1760, 1775–1776 Continental Army: 1776–1777
Rank	Brigadier General (Continental Army)
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War † Battle of Trenton Battle of Princeton † Seven Years' War Kittanning Expedition Battle of Fort Duquesne Jacobite rising of 1745 Battle of Culloden
Other work	surgeon, apothecary

American Revolutionary War †

Seven Years' War

Jacobite rising of 1745

Hugh Mercer (January 17, 1726 – January 12, 1777) was a Scottish soldier and physician. He initially served with the Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie, and with the British forces during the Seven Years' War, but later became a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a close friend to George Washington. Mercer died as a result of his wounds received at the Battle of Princeton and became a fallen hero and rallying symbol of the American Revolution.

Mercer was born near Rosehearty, at the manse of Pitsligo Kirk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to Church of Scotland minister Reverend William Mercer of Pitsligo Parish Kirk and Ann Monro. At 15, he attended the University of Aberdeen, Marischal College, studying medicine and graduated a Doctor. He was assistant surgeon in the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, and was present at the Battle of Culloden when Charles' army was crushed on April 16, 1746, and many survivors were hunted down and killed. As a fugitive in his own homeland in 1747, Mercer fled Scotland after months in hiding. He bought his way onto a ship and moved to America, settling near what is now Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and practiced medicine for eight years.

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