The March to Trenton
December 26, 1776
“The troops marched with the most profound silence and good order. They arrived by two routes at the same time, about half an hour after daylight, within one mile of the town. The storm continued with great violence …”
Colonel Henry Knox, Continental Artillery
December 26, 1776, 4 a.m. – After completing the Christmas night crossing of the Delaware River, George Washington’s Continental Army, in desperate need of a victory, began an arduous nine-mile march to Trenton. Their objective – a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison.
They marched inland for about a mile, then south to Birmingham (now West Trenton). Here the army split into two divisions, one led by General Greene, accompanied by Washington, and the other by General Sullivan. Marching in separate columns for another four and a half miles through a fierce and relentless winter storm, they arrived at opposite ends of Trenton at 8 in the morning.
In the ensuing Battle of Trenton, Washington’s Continental Army surprised, surrounded and captured nearly 900 Hessians and secured a morale-boosting victory of immeasurable proportions.
Courtesy hmdb.org
