Show 19 k the winter night is cold and drear along tho the rivers sullen flow the rhe cruel frost is camping here the air has bas living blades of snow look pushing from the icy strand with ensigns freezing in tho the air there sails a small but mighty band across the dangerous dan grous delaware A rush a shout a clarion call salute tho the early mornings morning gray mow roused invaders yield or tall fall the worthy land has von on the dayl day soon shall tho the glorious news bo be hurled burled wherever men have wrongs to bear por for freedoms torch illumes allumes the world and god has crossed the delaware will carleton IM winter of 1770 1776 the year of the glorious declaration of in T dependence found the fortunes 31 of 0 the budding nation at their lowest ebb beaten buffeted and broken the little army of george washington had been pushed beyond the del delaware aware he had scarce 1000 men to command while cornwallis and honc the british commanders had six sis times that many scattered over new jersey and now new york many american were becoming disgusted with the war even troops were heartened disheartened dis and he need faced the calamity of having all but 1500 of them quit the service the first of the year when their enlistment c os afred to make matters worse general gates and some other high officers in the alic army were trying to influence congress against washington they used every argument they could to discredit their leader brilliant strategy but while almost the entire country was losing heart washington was planning a brilliant stroke to revive the patriotism of the people and the enthusiasm thusia sm of his troops he determined to strike a blow at the british forces in fix new jersey a dangerous thing to do one must admit when it Is remembered that he was outnumbered six to one he was too wise a man to risk battle with the main british force he de I 1 sided to attack one of the detachments occupying the various cities of new jersey after careful deliberation he selected trenton as the point to be stormed it was nearest ills his own position across the river and the majority of the troops there were hessians german soldiers england had hired t to fight in america cornwallis Cornwall ls and howe had gone to new york with their staffs where social life and gayety gaiety was at a higher pitch than in the little new jersey towns left trail of blood B plan was to cross the river christmas night with a body of picked troops a time when he thought the german commander colonel rahl and his officers and men would be carousing he assembled the attacking force quietly on his side of the river some of the troops washington had ordered to join him failed to arrive at the crossing point in time but despite that disappointment washington pushed on ile he determined to make mah the attack with the column lie he had accompanied compa nied troops were so poorly clad on the march that day that it courier from general gates in philadelphia was able to trail ing tons force by bloody footprints in the snow when men key their courage to that point nothing can stop them patriots powder spoiled delay at the ferry made an attack before daylight impossible washington had hoped to surprise the brit british I 1 sh and hessians the river was filled with heating floating lee ice und and it looked for a time as if most of the little army might be drowned in crossing but fortune smiled on them and none was lost once on the new jersey side at a point about nine miles from trenton IT X K aw h washington watching the last of his troops land before the battle a storm of snow enow and sleet drove into tl 0 e faces of the soldiers it soon ruined what little powder men had so the order was passed to rely on the bayonet washington sya divided his men into two columns one under general sullivan and one under general greene they were to march by different roads and attack ish outposts simultaneously advance and charge 5 general sullivan became somewhat dubious about the outcome while on the march and sent a messenger to washington to ask what should be done advance and charge was succinct reply washington said in his report the next nest day that t bat he might have retreated at this time had he thought lie he could have crossed the river without being discovered discovers d by the british it was nearly eight before the american advance met the first british outposts the latter were attacked quickly and driven back on oil the town without trouble A rattle of musketry from the outposts announced the beginning of the battle wayne whipple says in his life of washington 9 that the americans were so mad in a d that morning that they would have attacked the british with broomsticks surmise about colonel rahl and ills his officers leers off was correct they had spent the night at the home of abraham hunt drinking and making merry hunt had furnished them an elaborate christmas supper while the supper was in progress late that night a negro servant entered the room and gave colonel rahl a note the latter thrust it in his pocket without looking at it it was fortunate for america that he was too drunk to act properly for that note was from a tory warning him of approach I 1 hessian colonel killed while the alie officers drank and sang men had fought their way into the outskirts of tile the town the british cannon was captured lind and trained down the streets on their former owners the sound of firing brought realization of the danger to colonel rahl and lie he rushed from the hunt house to form his men lie ile was a brave man but he had stayed too ion long at ills his merrymaking more than a thousand hessians had surrendered already colonel italia rallied some men and made a show of resistance almost the first fire wounded him mortally when the hessians saw their commander fall some of them started to retreat toward princeton but washington sent a detachment to houd them off and they soon surrendered long before noon the americans inie ricans were in possession of the entire city and the british and hessian prisoners were being transported across the river for safekeeping beeping washington Washing tor sent couriers to congress with the joyful news it spread quickly over the country and enthused the cause of liberty so well that washington wits was able aak to hold ills ill army tog ether and face the the british in the spring with J tion and courage 3 |