Battle of Trenton
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| New York and New Jersey, 1776–1777 |
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| Long Island – Kip's Bay – Harlem Heights – Pell's Point – White Plains – Fort Washington – 1st Trenton – 2nd Trenton – Princeton – Forage War – Bound Brook |
Overview
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776 during the American Revolutionary War after Washington's crossing of the Delaware River. General George Washington led the main Continental Army across the Delaware to surprise and virtually eliminate the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. This overwhelming victory helped to preserve the Continental Army and set the stage for the Battle of Princeton the following week.
Trenton was garrisoned by three regiments of Hessian conscripts, commanded by Colonel Johann Rall for a total of about 1,200 men. Washington's force of about 2,400 attacked in two columns: Major General Nathanael Greene's division from the north, and Major General John Sullivan's division from the west. A third division never made it across the river due to the weather, but was supposed to attack from the south.
The common assertion that the Hessians were inebriated or otherwise unprepared for battle due to Christmastime celebrations is untrue. Instead, the American victory was in large part due to the intelligence-gathering and spreading of misinformation by John Honeyman, a spy enlisted by Washington. He was responsible not only for assessing the strength of the Hessian defenders, but also for convincing them that the Americans were demoralized and in no condition to attack. Additionally, the weather, though proving somewhat of an obstacle for the crossing of the Delaware, served to make the surprise of the attack complete. Normally the Hessians sent out a patrol to check for nearby enemy forces, but they were not sent out that night because of the storm. The final factor that seems to have been most responsible for the completeness of their defeat was the defending troops' perception that the Americans would not stand up to a concerted attack.Fischer, pp. 234-262.
The troops left camp at 2:00 p.m. on Christmas Day. The river crossing was to be completed by midnight, but the storm which broke at 11:00 p.m. delayed this completion until 3:00 a.m. The predawn attack was therefore delayed due to the weather and the fighting began around 8:00 a.m., with the storm still raging. By 9:30, the Patriots had won.
Trenton had at the time two main streets. Rall had been ordered to build a redoubt at the head of these two streets (where the battle monument stands today) but did not. The northern American column quickly took this position, and their cannon then denied the Hessians a chance to form in the streets, while the remaining men in the column, and the other column near the river moved to surround them.
The American forces had only a handful of wounded, although two men died of hypothermia on the march and more the next night, while the Hessians suffered 114 casualties with at least 22 dead, as well as 896 captured. Colonel Rall was mortally wounded and died the same day. Ironically, when Rall was warned that the patriots might attack, he replied, "Let them come. We need no trenches. We will go at them with the bayonet." The Rall and von Lossberg regiments were effectively removed from the British forces. Parts of the von Knyphausen regiment escaped to the south, but Sullivan did capture some 200 men, along with the regiment's cannons and supplies.
By noon, Washington's force had moved to recross the Delaware back into Pennsylvania, taking their prisoners and captured supplies with them. This battle gave the Continental Congress a new confidence in that it proved American forces could defeat regulars. It also increased the re-enlistments in the Continental Army forces.
An interesting note is that while only four Americans were wounded, all of these injuries occurred during the Americans' rush to capture Hessian artillery, to prevent the guns from being used. Two of these wounded were officers: Captain William Washington (the General's cousin), who was badly wounded in both hands, and young Lieutenant James Monroe, the future President of the United States. Monroe was carried from the field bleeding badly after he was stuck in the left shoulder by a musket ball, severing an artery. Doctor John Riker clamped the artery, keeping him from bleeding to death.Fischer, p. 247.
The hours before the battle served as the inspiration for the famous painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. The image in the painting, in which Washington stands majestic in his boat as it is crossing the river, is more symbolic than historically accurate, as the waters of the river were icy and treacherous and the flag Monroe holds was not created until six months after the battle. The crossing also occurred before dawn. Many have doubted that Washington stood, but many scholars believe they all stood, albeit in a different type of boat. Nonetheless, the image has become an icon of American history.
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References
- Fischer, David Hackett. Washington's Crossing (Pivotal Moments in American History). Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0195170342
External links
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