Late Christmas night, in 1776, Washingtons army commenced its - TopicsExpress



          

Late Christmas night, in 1776, Washingtons army commenced its crossing of the half-frozen Delaware River at three locations. The 2,400 soldiers led by Washington successfully braved the icy and freezing river and reached the New Jersey side of the Delaware just before dawn. The other two divisions, made up of some 3,000 men and crucial artillery, failed to reach the meeting point at the appointed time. At approximately 8 a.m. on the morning of December 26, Washingtons remaining force, separated into two columns, reached the outskirts of Trenton and descended on the unsuspecting Hessians. Trentons 1,400 Hessian defenders were groggy from the previous evenings festivities and underestimated the Patriot threat after months of decisive British victories throughout New York. Washingtons men quickly overwhelmed the Germans defenses, and by 9:30 a.m. the town was surrounded. Although several hundred Hessians escaped, nearly 1,000 were captured at the cost of only four American lives. However, because most of Washingtons army had failed to cross the Delaware, he was without adequate artillery or men and was forced to withdraw from the town. The victory was not particularly significant from a strategic point of view, but news of Washingtons initiative raised the spirits of the American colonists, who previously feared that the Continental Army was incapable of victory. eyewitnesstohistory/washingtondelaware.htm
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 13:17:04 +0000

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