In the darkness and frozen spindrift, a cargo ship groans through the ice along the Delaware River.
A heroic shadow at the helm, pointing towards land. Behind him are 2,400 soldiers. Most people stand in the freezing air biting their lips, their red faces dotted with ice flecks.
The men had to cross a river no more than three football fields wide, but the ice made crossing even such a short distance almost impossible.
As the men began their journey, it rained heavily. It was now nearing midnight and the rain had turned into a hurricane-force snowstorm.
I can't go back now
To make matters worse, the soldiers are exhausted and need food and better uniforms. Over the past few months, they have endured defeat after defeat, even losing major cities to their enemies.
But men trust their leaders. He was deep in thought by the fire and considered calling off the attack, but then changed his mind. In his own words:
“I was determined to press forward in all events, as I was sure that it would be impossible to retreat without being detected, and that I would not be harassed in crossing the river again.”
So he loaded his men with ammunition cases and packed them into a 40-foot cargo ship designed to transport large quantities of goods to the Philadelphia market and began the journey.
“Victory or Death” was the motto. The 44-year-old general had carefully planned his attack. It had to be a surprise, which is why he specifically chose tonight, Christmas night.
You've probably seen the painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware River,” which commemorates a frigid night on the river. The man's face I see every time I pick up a dollar bill reminds me of his contribution to the freedoms we hold today.
The men had to cross a river no more than three football fields wide, but the ice made crossing even such a short distance almost impossible. The original plan for a three-pronged attack had to be abandoned because weather prevented two Continental Army brigades from joining Washington's army.
Joining the ranks of spies
Even worse,
embedded with a spy Members of Washington's army warned the British of Washington's plans.
Fortunately, the news traveled slowly. Hessian Colonel Johann Rahl, commanding the Trenton garrison, received the news just as Washington and his men were crossing the river. Ral had relaxed after a series of false alarms and was completely unprepared for the attack.
“Let them come,” he said to the troops. “Why defense? We're going at them with bayonets.”
After reaching the New Jersey side of the Delaware River in the light of daylight, Washington and his men marched for four hours to Trenton, New Jersey, where they entered an isolated garrison with a Hessian force of about 1,400 German mercenaries fighting for the British. I headed.
an unwelcome surprise
They arrived around 8 a.m., laid siege to the town, and the Battle of Trenton began. Americans hoped that the Germans might have celebrated Christmas with parties and beer. Washington knew that. Before the battle, one of the officers wrote, “They really enjoy Christmas in Germany. No doubt the Hessians will be drinking a lot of beer and dancing tonight. Tomorrow morning they will be sleepy.'' ”
The Hessians were also overconfident after months of British victories and underestimated Washington and his Continental Army forces. In total, about 22 Hessians were killed and 98 wounded.
Realizing that they were doomed, the men began to panic and hundreds fled. Washington captured approximately 1,000 remaining soldiers and confiscated caches of ammunition and weapons.
After the battle, Washington was quoted as saying, “This is a glorious day for our country.”
“George can’t lose either.”
Poet David Shulman wrote a poem to commemorate Washington's perilous journey on Christmas night.
Oh, he's standing – the sailors have departed.
So this general is watching as he rows his boat.
He is in a hurry – winter is getting cold again.
The Wet Crew captures the Hessian stronghold.
George can't afford to lose the war by messing around.
He’s stern – so disembark, crew, and win!
