Christmas 1776: The Day that Saved America

The beleaguered and ill-equipped Continental Army suffered a series of devastating

military defeats, and amid failing morale among, the American Revolutionaries were all
but defeated by December 1776.

General William Howe, Commander-in-Chief of all British forces in America, had easily
taken New York City and looked to capture Philadelphia next. George Washington and
his Continentals had miraculously managed to avert total disaster but were now in a
state of all-out retreat. They moved swiftly across the Hudson River into New Jersey
before retreating even further over the Delaware River and into Pennsylvania.

Howe arrived in Trenton with twelve thousand men at his command. Howe was tempted
to cross the river, destroy Washingtons army, and capture Philadelphia before
Christmas. Congress, anticipating an attack, fled the city on December 13. But Howe
instead opted to return to New York City for winter quarters, posting three regiments of
ruthless Hessian mercenaries under Colonel Rall to maintain his precious hold on
Trenton.
Washington now faced both overwhelming military odds and, even worse, the severe
loss of will among his men. The occasion seemed utterly hopeless. He was certain that
Howes next move would finally crush his small army and smother the infant nation, if
cold and starvation didnt do it first. It was in this near constant state of despair and
misery that Washington began to plot his next move, conscious that it might be his last.
Under the advice and consent of his generals, Washington decided at last to risk
everything on a surprise and hazardous crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas
night.

Contrary to the common myth, the enemy was not a sleeping and drunken garrison fully
imbibed with the stupors of extravagant holiday reveling. In fact, this was not the case,
for Colonel Rall had wisely kept his men posted on high alert with constant drills and
patrols. But on that particular Christmas night, the severe and adverse winter weather
that tore at both sides seemed to Rall and his men to preclude the possibility of any
threat of attack.

Under the cover of darkness, and in the bone-chilling cold, Washington bravely led his
Continental Army across the river. An hour before sunrise, the attack on Trenton took
the enemy completely by surprise. After a brief engagement, Washington succeeded in
capturing 900 of the Hessian force. American losses numbered half a dozen (2 from
combat, 4 from exposure to cold).
The stunning victory quickly restored confidence in the fledgling American cause and
infuriated Howe. American enlistments soared. The war was still very far from over, but
early disaster had been averted. The British were now forced to accept the reality that
any military campaign against the American revolutionaries must be a long and costly
one. Washington, true to form, called it simply a glorious day for our country, and
thanked his men for their spirited and gallant service.

It was the new nations first Christmas.