The Decisive Battles of World History

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war against the American colonies. They were highly disciplined

and formidable troops.

The Battles

x When Washington reached the Delaware River, he ferried his

men across to Pennsylvania, then had them gather all the boats

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thus denying the British a means to cross the river and continue

their pursuit. This stratagem, coupled with the onset of winter,

temporarily halted the British, who now settled down in New

Jersey, waiting for spring.

x In these extreme circumstances, Washington decided on one last

desperate attempt before his men’s enlistment expired with the turn

of the new year. As a target, he selected the contingent of about

1,500 Hessians settled for the winter in Trenton, who were under

the command of an experienced soldier, Colonel Rall.

x Washington planned a three-column assault in which his army

would cross the Delaware at nightfall on Christmas Day and

converge on Trenton before dawn. Washington would personally

lead one of the attacking columns. Although the weather on

Christmas Day had been clear, as dusk fell, a northeaster struck,

bringing rain, snow, and biting winds.

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animals, and equipment at night and in such appalling conditions

inevitably caused disruption to Washington’s plans. The crossing

took far longer than he calculated, and the sun was already close to

rising by the time Washington’s force was assembled and ready to

begin the hike to Trenton. Worse, the weather prevented the other

two columns from crossing at all. Washington determined to press

on and divided his force into two sections for the march.

x When the columns reached the outskirts of Trenton, they overran

the outlying Hessian pickets. Six American artillery pieces were