General George Washington commanded 2,400 men against a garrison of about 1,500 Hessian mercenaries under the command of Colonel Johann Rall. The most important was located at Trenton, New Jersey, and was held by Colonel Johann Rall’s Hessian mercenaries. Continental Army commander General George Washington’s first military campaign ended in disaster. Date December 26, 1776 Location Trenton, New Jersey, on the Delaware River (eastern United States) Opponents [1]Americans [2]Hessian mercenaries Commander [1]General George Washington [2]Colonel Johann Rall Approx. Washington’s position was critical. To make matters worse, enlistments for most would expire in a few days, at the end of the year. Colonel Henry Knox commanded 18 pieces of artillery. ( Log Out / The British then went into winter quarters, their forces covered by a line of outposts. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. McPhillips, Martin. Washington’s men were poorly clad for such an operation; some actually had no shoes and wrapped their feet in rags. How many eligible voters are registered to vote in the United States? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The battle itself was a confused melee of men fighting in small groups or singly. ( Log Out / This short,oversized volume is a good sources to understand troop movements before during and after the first battle of Trenton. The crossing was to start at 5:00 p.m., with the attack at Trenton scheduled for 5:00 a.m. the next morning, but weather conditions were terrible, and the troops were slow to reach their assembly areas. I am resolved to take Trenton.” Washington’s will, more than anything, kept the men going. These two small Continental victories changed the entire campaign. Why don't libraries smell like bookstores? The War of the Revolution, Vol. Posted on July 4, 2020 by MSW. Washington had planned for the crossing to be complete by midnight, but the last man was not across until after 3:00 a.m., and it was nearly 4:00 a.m. before the army formed and began to move. Know more about the causes, significance, casualties and effects of the Battle of Trenton through these 10 interesting facts. On nearing Trenton, Washington split his force into the two corps to follow two different roads for a converging attack on the British outpost. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The same thing almost happened a few days later to the colonials at Fort Lee, across the Hudson in New Jersey. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. New York: Anchor Books, 1975. Crossings by 5,500 men, horses, and artillery were to occur at three separate locations, with the forces converging on Trenton. The Second Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton Elated by his success and eager to capitalize on his victory, Washington promptly dispatched an advance party under Greene to occupy Trenton. Washington then left an isolated garrison at Fort Washington on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River. The password for the operation, “Liberty or Death,” reflected its desperate nature. The material on this site can not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Multiply.