Interesting. The artist was German and he painted it "Hoping to encourage Europe's liberal reformers through the example of the American Revolution"
https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Crossing_the_Delaware
Reading various interpretations of the painting and the situation Washington was in.
Basically, morale was it at its lowest, he needed a win. His numbers were dwindling… kinda like the state of this board… :)
"…, and through the sobering autumn months General Washington led an army of dwindling numbers, with defeats mounting and morale sinking. .."
https: //homeschoolarts.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/seeing-abstraction-emanuel-leutzes-painting-washington-crossing-the-delaware-1851/