Christmas Eve 1776

The Continental Army was in a dreadful state and held together only by the force of General Washington’s will. He determined that if they were to die they would do it on a battlefield.

He plotted one more battle and selected as his target the Hessian garrison in the city of Trenton, New Jersey.

The Hessians were German mercenaries hired by King George to put down the American revolt. At the time, they were considered the best mercenaries and most brutal troops in all of Europe. The Hessians did not take prisoners and murdered all those who surrender to them.

Christmas Eve night 1776 found Washington’s rag-tag barefoot army boarding open boats to face the full wrath of the freezing Delaware River. There was no retreat possible for them and they knew it. They did not intend to ever cross that frightful river again and their watch word was, “victory or death.”

Of those who reached the other side of that terrible river, half would get lost in the night and never found their target, but the small number who did attacked like madmen. Their onslaught was too much for the Hessian defense and they threw down their weapons in humiliation.