The Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was an important victory for the American Army during the Revolutionary War. During the winter of 1776, George Washington and his troops were stuck by the west bank of the Delaware River. He was losing troops due to their enlistment expiring so he had to act fast before he lost all of his troops. On the night of December 25, Washington decided to attack the town of Trenton, a Hession controlled city. (A Hession is a German troop hired by Great Britain to fight for them). There was a big snow storm that night and so the Hessions decided to stay inside and celebrate Christmas. Washington and his troops crossed the half frozen Delaware River at 3 AM. His troops split into two groups after they crossed, one would attack from the West and the other would attack from the North.
At 8 in the morning on December 26, Washington's troops came to the town of Trenton. The American force of about 2,400 men caught the 1,400 Hessions completely by surprise. The Hessions put up some fight but then tried to retreat to the south. Another regiment of american soldiers were supposed to be blocking the south, but they couldn't cross the river because of the storm. Since there weren't any men blocking their escape, some of the Hessions escaped while others were taken prisoner. Only two men from the american side were injured: Captain William Washington (George Washington's cousin), and James Monroe (future president) This was one of Washingtons greatest victories.
Reflect: I think Washington made a brave move by crossing the Delaware River and attacking Trenton during a storm on Christmas. It was a key victory for America because it gave them confidence and increased enlistment in the army.
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