The Colonial Army At The Battle Of Trenton

On the Christmas night 1776 George Washington was preparing the Colonial Army to cross the Delaware River and retake Trenton which was occupied by over 1500 Hessian troops. Recently, the Colonial Army suffered staggering defeats at Fort Washington and Fort Lee in its fight for independence. The British Army forced the Colonials out of New York and New Jersey and the Washington and his army sought safety just west of the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. During these defeats Washington had many soldiers, arms, and supplies captured by the British in the process. With diminished numbers and supplies, expiring enlistment contracts, and winter setting in, the British and their Hessian allies were convinced that the beaten and battered colonists were near the point of

Intellect Washington’s intellect played a large role in planning the attack on Trenton. The closing months of 1776 had been dire for George Washington and the Continental Army. Most recently, the losses of forts Washington and Lee had been followed by a hasty retreat across New Jersey with the army of Lord Cornwallis in close pursuit. In early December, the Americans found temporary safety by crossing the Delaware River into Pennsylvania; Washington had destroyed those boats not used in the evacuation. He knew however, that this was only temporary in keeping the British at bay until the river froze over. Washington’s army had lost more than half of its men to capture, illness, desertion and enlistment expirations at the end of the year. Faltering morale needed a boost, and it came from Thomas Paine who was serving as a volunteer aide; the stirring words of his pamphlet The American Crisis were read to the soldiers on Washington's orders. He also wanted to end the year on a positive note so, George Washington—Commander in Chief of the Continental Army—devised a plan to