Battle of Trenton (American Revolution – Christmas 1776)

The American Crisis

“It is a dark time for the rebellion.”

The year 1776 had not been a kind one for the Patriots of the American Revolution.  In the wake of successive British offensives under the command of General Sir William Howe, New York was gone, along with 90% of the Continental Army.  Exhausted and starving, the 2,000 men Washington had left retreated into New Jersey.  The cause of the American Revolution, so proudly proclaimed just six months before with the Declaration of Independence, was now a flickering candle just a breath from being snuffed out.

We withdrew across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania, but even this would bring only brief respite.  As soon as the December weather grew cold enough, the Crown’s soldiers would walk across the ice and end the war in a final stroke.  Faced with annihilation, Washington decided on what seemed like an insane course:  Attack.

On Christmas night, Washington led us back across the Delaware into New Jersey.  Under cover of darkness, we forced-marched on Trenton through a sleet storm.  Here, a detachment of 1,200 Hessians (troops from modern-day Germany) had been stationed to keep an eye on us, but they had no idea we’d come back across the river.

We hit the Hessians shortly after dawn on December 26, 1776.  Against all odds, surprise was total.  The German commander (Johann Rall) was mortally wounded, and soon after the Hessians surrendered.  They’d lost 23 killed, 83 wounded, and all 900 survivors were taken prisoner.  We lost only two dead from exposure, and a handful of wounded.

Stunning as it may have been, victory at Trenton marked only the first step back from the abyss, by no means was Washington now “winning the war.”  In fact, his army was about to disintegrate because most of our enlistments were due to expire on December 31.  Even now, the Revolution’s survival hung by the slenderest of threads.