(upbeat music) - Hi everyone, Steve Adubato at the 2025 New Jersey Education Association Convention in Atlantic City.

We're here with our good friend, Nicholas Ferroni.

How long have you been teaching?

- It is my 23rd year, yes.

I've been in Union High School pretty much more than I've been alive.

- Love it, and teaching history, loving history.

- Yes.

- And because you love history, and we're gonna show information about this here, the creator, executive producer, and on-air host of a series called "Historically Correct."

Five part series, historically correct about what?

- So "Historically Correct" is in collaboration with the American Battlefield Trust.

We have America's 250th birthday coming up, and we wanted to think of a fun way to not only engage the locations, but to highlight all the amazing history that's around the state of New Jersey.

I mean, we have so much history right under our feet, and most people drive by it every day and have no idea.

So, I want to do what I do in the classroom, try to make history as entertaining, engaging, and just informative as possible, but do it on location, so that way, people see these spots, and then they want to go there after.

And then obviously, in true teacher fashion, I do give pop quizzes on the spot.

- Yeah, I failed.

By the way, there's a pop quiz.

You'll see some video in a second about "The Battle of Princeton," which is one of the five episodes in this series.

And I was trying to do well on the pop quiz.

You'll do it as well, and trust me, it's hard.

So let's set this up.

This is one of five, "The Battle of Princeton."

What the heck is the Battle of Princeton?

Why does it matter in the Revolutionary War and in the creation of the United States of America?

- Well, the irony is New Jersey's revolutionary story starts in Fort Lee.

Washington was stationed in Fort Lee.

Cornwallis sails across the Hudson.

He has the decision to stay and fight or retreat.

He decided to retreat, which broke his heart, upset him, but he then went across New Jersey and got to Pennsylvania.

So from there, he's gonna launch into the Battle of Trenton.

What makes Princeton so important is it's a back-to-back victory.

So we think back-to-back Super Bowls are big, but this kind of started the whole momentum shift.

'Cause up until that point, we weren't doing well, Steve.

We were not doing well.

The Army was struggling.

We were losing battles.

We were not doing well.

So, we needed some major victories to show not only Congress, but the country that we can obviously stand a chance against the British.

- And the Battle of Princeton is a victory.

- It is a victory.

- But it's complex, a lot going on here.

You're gonna meet General Hugh Mercer, wonder where Mercer County comes from?

You'll find out there.

Washington is involved.

Mercer, as I said, is involved, a whole range of interesting folks.

You'll see the pop quiz, and we'll talk to Nick on the back end of this.

Remember, this is a series called "Historically Correct" on YouTube right now?

- It is on YouTube right now, yes.

So it's on the American Battlefield Trusts YouTube channel.

- Well, it's gonna be more than that, because the more folks find out about this, yes, our colleague at PBS, Ken Burns, has done a great documentary on the Revolutionary War.

Nick Ferroni and his team, they've done an incredibly compelling job as well.

Check out "The Battle of Princeton."

(dramatic music) - Washington didn't just win one battle.

He pulled off the first back-to-back upset in American military history.

And unlike most movies, this time, the sequel was even better than the original.

Everybody's still talking about Trenton.

(guns blasting) But the real ones know George Washington didn't just stop there.

Welcome to Princeton, where the encore hit harder than the original.

(upbeat music) It's January 3rd, 1777, just days after shocking the world in Trenton, Washington pulls a fast one, sneaks past the British undercover of darkness and boom, (guns blasting) surprise attack in Princeton.

His risky gamble pays off again.

This wasn't just a win, it boosted morale, forced the British to retreat to New Brunswick, go Scarlet Knights, and show the world that the Continental Army wasn't messing around.

Meet Clark house, a humble farmhouse turned emergency room.

(dramatic music) Soldiers from both sides were treated here, including the mortally wounded General Hugh Mercer.

During the battle, Mercer was separated from his troops and surrounded by the British.

He refused to surrender, fought back with his sword and his sacrifice inspired the American troops to rally.

Mercer was then carried to Clark House where he died nine days later from bayonet wounds.

Clark House was like ER, both no anesthesia, no antibiotics, just pain, gauze, and a lot of blood.

(chalk scratching) Now let's see who's an AP student and who may have brain rot.

(upbeat music) Pop quiz time.

You ready?

- I don't know.

- Are you ready?

- Yeah.

- You ready for a pop quiz?

- Sure.

- Okay, I'm taking you back to high school with this.

- Oh yeah.

- When was the last time you took a pop quiz?

- A good couple months.

- A couple months?

- Oh God, maybe 30 years ago.

- Couldn't have been that long.

All right, you'll nail it.

First question, which battle happened first in chronological order, the Battle of Saratoga, the Battle of Princeton, Battle of Yorktown, or the Battle of Gettysburg?

What battle do you think happened first?

- I'm gonna say Yorktown.

- Saratoga?

- Is it Princeton?

- Princeton.

- No.

- Oh, it's, oh, is it where I- - It's where we currently are, Princeton, yeah.

If you said Gettysburg, I would have to talk to your history teacher, all right?

That's all right.

Shout out to Miss Hugadin.

All right, great job.

All right, what famous building served as a field hospital here, literally right here?

Nassau Hall, Clark House, White House or Connecticut Farms Church?

- Clark House?

- I don't know.

I have a feeling it might be Clark House?

- I'm gonna say Connecticut Farms Church.

- Well that would be the Clark House.

- Incredible, two for two.

It is Clark House.

Right on, yeah.

Clark House saved lives before urgent care was a thing.

Pulled right up.

They took care of you.

Probably not well, but they took care of you, okay?

- They tried their best.

It's okay.

- Last question.

Which general was mortally wounded during this battle, meaning the Battle of Princeton?

Charles Cornwallis, Hugh Mercer, Benedict Arnold, or Henry Knox?

- I'm gonna say the first one.

- Charles Cornwallis?

- Charles Cornwallis.

- British General Charles Cornwallis?

- Yeah.

- So we live in Mercer County.

I think it's Hugh Mercer.

- I'm gonna have to say Mercer.

- Which general was mortally wounded during the Battle of Princeton?

- That would be General Mercer.

- And that is correct?

- Yes.

- Yeah, Hugh Mercer, a local hero and a county with his namesake.

- And the camp that I served in in Korea was named after Hugh Mercer as well.

- Really?

Oh, so you already knew the answer going in.

All right, thank you so much.

Great job.

Great job.

Thank you very much.

Your AP teacher should be very proud.

- Dude, I'm sure she is.

- Are you gonna major in history in college?

- No, I'm majoring in film.

- Okay.

Great job.

Thank you.

All right, I won't share this with your history teacher.

I promise, okay.

- Yeah, he's gonna be mad.

(playful music) (chalk scratching) - Washington didn't just attack, he vanished, slipped past Cornwallis during the night while leaving fires burning in camp to fake 'em out.

And it worked.

Washington's troops marched all night to reach Princeton undetected.

Think "Oceans 11," both muskets and knee breaches.

And not all heroes are celebrated in our textbooks.

Oliver Cromwell, a free Black soldier (gun blasting) from Burlington County, fought heroically at Trenton and Princeton and even earned a discharge signed by Washington, himself.

Cromwell lived to be 100 and was buried with full military honors.

Wanna see where Washington pulled off one of his smartest moves?

(upbeat music) Come visit Princeton Battlefield State Park, tour the Clark House, walk the field, explore the Revolution with the Liberty Trail NJ app, and visit the libertytrail.org for stories, maps, and trivia, and support the American Battlefield Trust.

They protect our history before it's gone.

Next time, we're turning up the heat, literally, where soldiers fainted, and a jersey girl became a pop culture icon.

- So there it is, "The Battle of Princeton."

First of all, how much fun is that to do?

- As a history teacher, it's the best experience, 'cause I teach about these places.

But to teach about 'em from the location, so I'm standing right by the Mercer oak tree where Hugh Mercer, again, a Scottish born immigrant, comes here, fights, becomes a patriot.

I mean, his story is like he inspired the shift at the battle, because he literally sacrificed himself and like standing in that spot, it gives you chills.

And then seeing the Clark House, that was the field hospital.

It's just there's so many locations like this across the state where you get to stand where, again, we would not be sitting here if these people did not do what they did at these locations.

- Yeah, I heard you say that you'd be doing it for the British.

- Yeah, yeah.

You know, "God Save the Queen" would be our national anthem.

You know, it's like I'd be teaching British history.

- We take a lot for granted, don't we?

- We do.

We do.

And I think you- - That's not good.

- You really appreciate what you don't have to earn.

You know, I always say it's like I'm living off the sacrifices of my family, my father, my grandfather, so I try hard to appreciate that.

And I think as we get older, we appreciate our history, but you know, our history is a part of American history.

- So talk about the 250th, Nick.

What do you believe in 2026, 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation.

This series, "Historically Correct," attempts to help us understand a little bit better the struggle, the fight.

What do you believe it should mean?

- The one thing I love about this series is I get to highlight all the stories, history storytelling.

Ken Burns, I love how he's such an amazing storyteller.

He talks about every person, their decision, their perspective.

And when we think about the Revolution, we think about it as Patriots versus Red Coats.

It was a civil war.

New Jersey was torn, half was like people- - Whoa, whoa, back up, back up, back up, back up.

New Jersey was what?

- New Jersey, and Ken Burns will back this up, New Jersey was one of the worst states to live in during the Revolution, because it exchanged hands so many times.

Neighbors, again, everyone's like, "Now we're very divided."

It's like people have always stood by their principles.

And so the Revolution is so much more than just British versus America, it was Americans against Americans.

It was who thinks the best path forward is the way to go.

- Hold on, are you saying that a significant number of New Jerseyans sided with the British?

- Absolutely.

- Based on what?

- I always tell my students, "If you're getting an A in my class, "would you want a new teacher to come in?

"Would you want a new system if you're doing well?"

A lot of Americans were doing well.

And again, I may not agree with their opinion, but I understand it.

- Was it geographic?

- It was based on- - Was it a North/South thing is what I'm trying to get at.

- It wasn't as much North/South as much as individual situations.

- By the way, hold on one second, you hear background?

(people speaking indistinctly) We are at the New Jersey Education Association 2025 Convention.

There's a lot of enthusiasm.

We're talking about the Revolutionary War, the establishment of the United States of America with great Nick Ferroni, who made this "Historically Correct" series possible with some colleagues.

Divided, some folks think it's better with the British in control, 'cause their lives are okay.

But then what brings us together, and do we ever really come together?

- I mean, right after the Revolution, we came together for a common cause for the most part.

But once we got rid of our outside enemy, we always turn on each other to... Because again, everyone thinks they have the best idea to move forward.

And it's so interesting to read the stories of everyone's... Again, the Founding Fathers, it's called "they were frenemies".

It's like everyone thought they had the best interest or what was the most important thing or the best thing to do to move forward.

And again, when you humanize these Founding Fathers, we put 'em on pedestals, and we give them monuments, but they were human beings.

They were hypocrites, you know?

- What do you mean?

- I was just at Patrick Henry's house in Virginia.

It's like he, the guy who said- - Patrick Henry, "Give me liberty or give me death?"

- He was a slave owner, and he knew his hypocrisy.

He called it out.

A New Jersey Quaker called him out publicly and said, "How dare you say those words "when you, yourself, are an oppressor."

And he knew the hypocrisy and he said, "But we have to start somewhere."

And that's why it's like people now, we have a lot of revisionist history of people coming back and trying to cancel certain figures, but it's like Washington, if not for George Washington, we would not be sitting here right now.

- Oh, but a flawed human being.

- Yeah, he is imperfect.

His principles were contradicted.

But if anybody else- - What do you mean his principles were contradicted?

- Well again, the same man who argued for independence, for liberty, for freedom, also enslaved a large number of people, also did not free them upon it, you know- - And Jefferson.

- And Jefferson as well.

And it's like their lives depended on it.

And again, I'm not justifying that, but there are so many- - You're not judging, are you?

- Well, I'm trying to look at it from an objective perspective, and I... But that's why I want to tell the whole story, 'cause you have to tell those sides.

Everyone has a sun.

Everyone has a moon.

So we have to tell both those stories to give the three-dimensional person.

- Well, let me ask you something.

A, where did the idea come from?

B, where does the money come from?

- So, the idea came from how I teach.

I will make this argument all the time.

If you could entertain teenagers, you could entertain anybody, and I'm sure you know- - Okay, go ahead.

Okay, so go from that.

Where the heck does... Your passion for history is clear.

Where's the idea for this come from and then the... - And the money.

- Well, I have the luxury of having a background in TV.

I was an actor before a teacher.

I realized I was not good.

But then I became a teacher, and I realized that requires more performance than acting actually did, 'cause it's a whole different level.

So I worked with a few different organizations, like history.com, on creating some content to try to make history engaging for young people who may not find it so fascinating.

And then I ended up connecting with the American Battlefield Trust.

- Who is that?

- The American Battlefield Trust is a nonprofit.

It's been around for over 30 years.

It originally started off as the Civil War Trust.

They oversee all the battlefields across the country.

And their goal is to preserve them, to provide monuments in those locations and to encourage visitation, basically to keep our landscapes and our history alive.

- And you had to sell them on this?

- And I sold them on the idea for the 250th, but they also knew my work, so they were very confident.

Again, anyone to give you money to do anything, there's some confidence and also some insecurity on my end.

'Cause now- - Join the club.

- Yeah, now I have to deliver, yeah.

- Okay, I'm always fascinated by the combination of the appearing to be contradictory, confidence and self-doubt.

- Absolutely.

- You have it too?

- All the time.

Once somebody gives you a check, now it's like, damn, now I have to actually do it, yeah.

- I love it.

- Yeah, but it's definitely- - So, they bought into you.

- They bought into me, and they bought into my platform, and they bought into what I shared with them.

And the goal is to show these locations in a way that they've never been shown before, that, as amazing as Ken Burns's documentary is, this is definitely more focused on getting kids and getting educators excited about it.

- Okay, before I let you go, you got the Battle of Princeton, the Battle of Trenton, Fort Lee, gimme some others.

- Morristown.

- Morristown.

- The Battle of Connecticut Farms where I grew up.

We ended the season in my hometown where a patriot preacher's wife, Hannah Caldwell, was supposedly killed by a British soldier.

That image is actually embodied in the Union County Seal.

So if you look at the Union County Seal, it's an image of a Red Coat holding a gun towards a colonial- - That's where it comes from?

- That's where it comes from.

- That's wild.

- Yeah.

So we ended, I mean, that was such great homage to my hometown.

- This is Nick Ferroni.

He's not just a great history teacher at Union High School, he's the creator, executive producer and host of "Historically Correct."

We will continue to show excerpts from this great series.

Right now, website up one more time.

People can find it on YouTube.

Cannot thank you enough, Nick.

- Thank you, and I wanna know how everybody does on the quizzes.

- On the quizzes, yeah.

I'm not gonna post my grade.

I'm Steve Adubato.

That's Nick.

Stay with us.

We'll be right back.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by The New Jersey Education Association.

Hackensack Meridian Health.

NJ Best, New Jersey’s five-two-nine college savings plan.

Kean University.

PSE&G.

EJI, Excellence in Medicine Awards.

A New Jersey health foundation program.

The Fund for New Jersey.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

And by The Fidelco Group.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by BestofNJ.com.

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