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Princeton Day School Joins Princeton Battlefield Society to Expand “Men Without Shoes” Project

via Business Wire

PDS Becomes the Second School to Join the Initiative, Which Aims to Shed New Light on the Continental Soldiers Who Fought for America’s Independence

The Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS) and Princeton Day School (PDS) announced today that PDS will join PBS’ “Men Without Shoes” Project, a research effort dedicated to telling the stories of the Continental Army’s rank-and-file soldiers who fought at the Battle of Princeton 250 years ago.

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The project addresses a long-standing gap in Revolutionary War history by restoring attention to the ordinary soldiers whose voices have long been overshadowed by the stories of their commanders. PDS Upper School students will help bring these men’s experiences to light, uncovering who they were, what they endured, and weaving those discoveries into the school’s history curriculum.

PDS joins the initiative alongside Trenton’s Foundation Academies, whose students are researching black Continental soldiers who served in the Battle of Princeton.

“We are so pleased that Princeton Day School will be joining this effort to discover, honor, and remember the men who fought here and teach a new generation about this turning point in American history,” said PBS President Ben Strong. “From the moment Washington crossed the Delaware to the moment the American Army won the Battle, these brave men changed the trajectory of history.”

The collaboration reflects both organizations’ commitment to making history relevant for today’s students through hands-on research and discovery.

"Our students will recover the forgotten stories of soldiers who were their same age, fighting for independence just miles from our campus," said PDS Upper School Head Katie O'Shaughnessey. "We're incredibly grateful to the Princeton Battlefield Society for this once-in-a-lifetime teaching and learning opportunity and the chance to give these men the recognition they deserve."

The project’s name comes from harrowing firsthand accounts of soldiers marching without adequate footwear in the bitter winter of 1777. Sgt. Nathaniel Root, who fought at Princeton, recalled: “Our men, too, were without shoes or other comfortable clothing; and as traces of our march towards Princeton, the ground was literally marked with the blood of the soldiers’ feet.”

PBS created “Men Without Shoes” as part of its United States semiquincentennial anniversary programming to highlight the hardships faced by soldiers like those described by Root.

“History is usually written about the generals, but we want to write the next chapter of the history of the Battle of Princeton by recognizing and elevating the rank and file who fought here,” Strong said. “Ten officers were killed, and we know their names, but twice as many enlisted men were killed, and it appears no one knows their names. We will not let history forget them, especially in the year we mark the 250th anniversary of the country and the Battle of Princeton.”

About Princeton Battlefield Society

The Princeton Battlefield Society is a national historic non-profit organization dedicated to the protection, preservation, and promotion of the Princeton Battlefield as a national treasure of the American Revolutionary War. For more information, including exhibitions and events, visit the Princeton Battlefield Society at https://pbs1777.org/

About Princeton Day School

Princeton Day School brings together a diverse Pre-K through Grade 12 community where intellectual vitality, strength of character, and joy in discovery flourish. To learn more, visit pds.org.

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