this i painting by john trumbell. now, in the art gallery of yale university called "the death of general mercer at princeton. "the scene is mercer is separated from this british men and he doesn't ask for quarter, he doesn't extinct surrender and he is mortally wounded. the story the patriots spin immediately is he did ask for quarter and was reidentifiesed and was killed in cold blood and the patriots accidented his corpse in a coffee house, carefully choreographed death. and trumbell paints it in oil. >> talk about the -- the americans are very good at it. apparently, if i read the book crequely, they're better at it than the british. >> i think they are and connects to one of the more surprising findings in my research. so, this is not just a war about strategy and manpower and logistics. as much a war of persuasion. it matters not just how each side conducts itself but also what stories each side can tell about their and the other side's conduct. the -- so, obviously neither side is above concocting stories of wa

silver-hilted sword that mercer had in his hand, you see in the background the depiction from john trumbel, the painting of the death of mercer, with a bayonet from the british regiment that attacked the americans at princeton. these blades may well have crossed one another as mercer lay on the ground fighting off a circle of british soldiers. he was repeatedly stabbed with bayonets, mortally wounded. he lingered for nine days afterwards and became a kind of martyr for the american cause. when he eventually died, he was -- his body was brought here to philadelphia, was placed on public exhibition so that americans could see these horrible wounds he had suffered, then he was buried at christchurch here in philadelphia. fast forward to 1784. charles wilson peele, our painter back there, is commissioned by princeton university to do a full-length portrait of general washington to hang in nassau hall, which still stands today at princeton. and behind you right here, this is a reproduction of that painting which you can actually see in the princeton university art gallery. you'll notice here is