Steele R. Chadwell, a Princeton-based attorney, has been a re-enactor portraying the part of Brig. Gen. Lord Stirling for the past 20 years.
By Rosalie Ann LaGrutta
The Revolutionary War began in 1775 with the British and the would-be Americans vying for control of the North American colonies.
The war ended in 1783, but events that took place in this area during what is often referred to as the "Ten Crucial Days" still fascinate many history buffs today.
On the evening of Dec. 25, 1776, the waters of the Delaware River became the setting for one of the war’s pivotal events. Under Gen. George Washington, the Continental Army crossed the ice-choked Delaware River at night and landed at Johnson’s Ferry located in what is now known as Washington Crossing State Park, near Titusville.
Early the morning of Dec. 26, they began their march to Trenton, where, around 8 a.m., they attacked three regiments of Hessians (about 1,500 men) in an unexpected attack. This battle was followed by the Second Battle of Trenton on Jan. 2, 1777, and the Battle of Princeton on Jan. 3, 1777.
Some years later, Gen. Washington became the first president of the new United States of America.
On Saturday, re-enactors will commemorate once again Gen. Washington’s Christmas night crossing, which took place 228 years ago.
The re-enactors plan to row across the Delaware River from Washington Crossing Historic Park (Pennsylvania) to the Washington Crossing State Park (near Titusville) in replica Durham boats. Area residents are invited to witness the commemoration by gathering along the banks of the river. Activities should begin around 1 p.m. on Dec. 25. Admission is free.
The Pennsylvania park is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. For more information, visit www.phmc.state.pa.us. Individuals with disabilities may contact the office (215) 493-4076 in advance to discuss their needs.
River crossings are contingent upon safe conditions for participants. However, commemoration activities will occur at the park, despite the weather and river conditions.
Playing the part of George Washington will be James Gibson of Fallsington, Pa.
AMONG THE RE-ENACTORS is Pennington’s Steele R. Chadwell, an attorney, whose office is on Nassau Street in Princeton.
Mr. Chadwell has been a re-enactor portraying the part of Brig. Gen. Lord Stirling for the past 20 years.
In 1776, Lord Stirling’s brigade consisted of 81 officers and 592 men from the 1st Regiment, Virginia Continental Infantry; Delaware Regiment, Continental Infantry; 3rd Regiment, Virginia Continental Infantry; and 1st Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment Volunteers.
Why did Mr. Chadwell decide to become a re-enactor? His reasons go back to his childhood.
Born in 1952 in Oklahoma, Mr. Chadwell, at the age of 6 weeks, moved with his family to Pennington Borough.
"When I was 2 or 3, my family took me to see the Crossing. After that first year, I wanted to go every year." Because Mr. Chadwell’s birthday is in December, it wasn’t difficult for him to get his parents to take him to the Crossing yearly.
In 1980 Mr. Chadwell married and took his wife, Karen, to the Crossing. His wife understood his interest in the Crossing. "It was Karen’s suggestion that I become one of the re-enactors," said Mr. Chadwell. As a result, he contacted Emma Adams, administrative assistant to the director of Washington Crossing Historic Park (Pennsylvania), and expressed his desire to participate in the re-enactments.
"That September I received a form to fill out and the second letter I received invited me to the boat drill and the dress rehearsal," said Mr. Chadwell. Of the now-deceased Ms. Adams, Mr. Chadwell said, "she was a trooper; she ran the whole thing."
Mr. Chadwell said he started out as an infantryman and then became captain and then general.
Naturally, the Chadwell children, Cynthia, 13, who attends Timberlane Middle School, and James, 8, who attends Toll Gate Grammar School, get to see the Crossing every year. "The children are very tolerant of my participation and, in fact, they help to remove my boots when we get home."
Mr. Chadwell’s late stepfather, John Scudder, was a direct descendant of Amos Scudder, who helped some of Gen. Washington’s troops make their way to Trenton on Dec. 26. Amos Scudder’s flintlock musket was passed down from generation to generation and now resides in the home of Jean Scudder, Mr. Chadwell’s mother.
"When I’m asked to present Brigadier General Lord Stirling, et al, to the children in school, I get some of my friends to join me, we dress in uniform and I borrow the musket from my mother," said Mr. Chadwell.
Since becoming a re-enactor, Mr. Chadwell said he has met many nice people and made new friends. He said he’s proud to be a re-enactor and really enjoys it, but more importantly, he hopes the re-enactment motivates children to learn more about the American Revolution, and history in general, in a way that’s enjoyable.
He hopes, also, that children know they can visit places of interest historic landmarks of the Revolution in Pennington, Trenton and Princeton to keep history alive.
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ABOUT Amos Scudder According to "Scudders In The American Revolution," by Hamilton Cochran, Amos Scudder is thought to be the only Scudder who survived the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge. His name appears on a bronze tablet in the park’s Bell Tower.
Amos Scudder died at the age of 78 in 1817. Born on Feb. 14, 1739 at his father’s homestead at Scudders Falls (Hunterdon County then), he was the son of John and Phoebe Howell Scudder. He married Phoebe Rose in December 1763. According to a Scudder Association Inc. newsletter, they probably were living at the Scudder homestead when Gen. Washington was planning the attack on the Hessians and some British, who occupied Trenton. A farmer, Amos Scudder was 37 at the time.
The newsletter says that Gen. Washington’s troops began the crossing of the Delaware from Pennsylvania at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve (1776) and, because of foul weather, the last of the troops did not arrive on the Jersey side until 4 a.m. Dec. 26. One contingent of the army marched south, parallel to River Road, near the Scudder home. The Scudder family provided shelter, warmth and food for as many as possible.
Because Gen. Washington needed men who knew the neighborhood and "every bypath and shortcut to Trenton," Amos Scudder and brother Jedediah volunteered to guide the advance units of the army to their destination. Their offer was accepted.
Five months later, in March 1777, Amos Scudder was commissioned an ensign in Capt. John Mott’s Company from Trenton under the command of Col. James Phillips of the First Regiment, Hunterdon County Militia.
Amos Scudder’s tombstone can be found in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church of Ewing. The Scudder home, sold to Robert W. Green (a relative) in 1940, burned to the ground in 1955 and never was replaced. Today, condominiums and townhouses are on the site.
Ruth Luse, managing editor, contributed to this account.

