by Dean Bowen, America Outloud:
We have much to celebrate in this country. America is filled with a rich history of perseverance, hope, and a desire for liberty and self-governance. On December 21, 1620, the pilgrims came ashore in Massachusetts, and legend has it they set foot on a granite boulder they called Plymouth Rock.
One hundred fifty years later, John Adams acknowledged in his Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law the driving force behind their perseverance and hope: “Recollect the civil and religious principles and hopes and expectations which constantly supported and carried them through all hardships with patience and resignation. Let us recollect it was liberty, the hope of liberty, for themselves and us and ours, which conquered all discouragement, dangers, and trials.”
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That “hope of liberty” carried over into Washington’s heart and mind as he prepared his defeated and dwindling army for a Christmas Day attack on the German garrison and Trenton, NJ. A few months earlier, Washington’s forces stood at a flourishing 20,000 men. On Christmas Eve, 1776, that number had dipped below 5000 men.
Washington knew his only hope was to launch a surprise attack on the Germans. The weather turned ominous on that Christmas Day. Years later, Benjamin Rush would write about a private meeting he had with Washington before the launch across the Delaware.
Washington was writing something on small pieces of paper during their conversation. One of the pieces fell to the floor, and Rush made note of the words on the paper: “Victory or Death.”
The plan was to cross over the Delaware into three groups. A group of about 1,500 men would cross over the downriver of Trenton and march north with the purpose of creating a diversion. A second group of about 700 men would cross over at Trenton and guard the bridge out of town, cutting off an escape route.
The third group, Washington’s group of about 2,400 men, would cross over north of Trenton and march south in two columns for the main attack on the city.
By the time Washington’s forces crossed the river, they were 3 hours behind schedule. The weather was atrocious. John Greenwood wrote in his journal about that night: “After a while, it rained, hailed, snowed, and froze, and at the same time blew a perfect hurricane.”
At the time Washington completed his crossing, he was not aware that the other two divisions had to call off their attempts to cross due to the weather. Washington was on his own.
Even though the Germans were warned of an impending attack, their commander disregarded the information because he did not believe the Americans had the wherewithal to mount an attack on such a dreadfully cold night. He was wrong.
Hope for liberty ruled the day. The surprise attack was a success, with over 900 Hessians being captured and not one loss of American life, save the two soldiers who froze to death on the march towards Trenton.
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