Battle Of Trenton Essay

With extensive research, it is believed that the two battles that Washington and the Continental army won that counted against the British was the Battle of Trenton (1776) and the Battle of Yorktown (1781). The reasoning for why the Battle of Trenton would be one of the Battles to truly matter is first due to actually winning it. The second reason is due to the dismal outlook for the Continental army at the time. This is due to the falling of Fort Washington and Fort Lee, where in Fort Lee the evacuation was so slow, the British were able to seize items such as cannons, muskets, and other supplies. The loss of these forts along with more of Washington's men succumbing to illness and other various ailments along with the cold, the Continental

Due to there being no boats left since the British destroyed them, the British would have to wait for there to be ice to try and cross the river, thus putting distance between the two. Around that same time, John Honeyman, a loyalist butcher who was actually an American spy, was captured in New Jersey and sent to Pennsylvania to be interviewed by Washington. Honeyman revealed that Sir William Howe, the British commander had called of Cornwallis' troops, instead taking quarters on Manhattan Island and Staten Island. This information helped Washington as Honeyman went back to Trenton and told Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall that the Americans were incapable of attack (Battle of Trenton, para. 2). On Christmas day of 1776, the Continental army made their way towards Trenton to strike the British and Hessian mercenaries under darkness, but due to weather conditions, they were not able to ambush until around 8 am. Their plans were almost foiled due to a Tory (American loyalist) that spotted them and sent a written letter, but luckily the Colonel ignored this as he planned to still celebrate Christmas (Battle of Trenton,

2). This led it to being possible for all French forces to unite with American Forces, thus giving them enough manpower to defeat the British. Washington, taking command of the now allied forces, pretended to attack New York. They were able to deceive Henry Clinton, a British officer, who then warned Cornwallis, sending troops to New York. By then, it was too late, giving Washington's allied troops the ability to surround the British troops at Yorktown, forcing them to surrender once and for all (Battle of Yorktown, para.3). Therefore, the two major battles that were won, were the ones that truly counted. Although it is simplistic and clear to understand why the Battle of Yorktown was one of the battles that counted, seeing that it ended the American Revolutionary war, it is less clear to determine the other battle that truly mattered. That is why it is believed that the Battle of Trenton is another battle that truly counted in the ultimate defeat of the British as the easy defeat of the British brought forth more energy to the troops to keep fighting for the freedom of America because without the win, the Continental army would not have any motivation to keep fighting through the cold and