Battles of Trenton and Princeton

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Battles of Trenton and Princeton
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Early British victories made many colonists
despair. Paine tried to boost the morale of the
new nation in his pamphlet The American Crisis.
THESE are the times that try mens souls. The
summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in
this crisis, shrink from the service of their
country but he that stands it now, deserves the
love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like
hell, is not easily conquered yet we have this
consolation with us, that the harder the
conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we
obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly it is
dearness only that gives every thing its value.
Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its
goods and it would be strange indeed if so
celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be
highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce
her tyranny, has declared that she has a right
(not only to TAX) but to BIND us in ALL CASES
WHATSOEVER, and if being bound in that manner,
is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as
slavery upon earth. Even the expression is
impious for so unlimited a power can belong only
to God. Thomas Paine
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Emanuel Leutze painted this well-known painting
of Washington crossing the Delaware River on
Christmas night, 1776, to attack Trenton.
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Washington, desperate for a victory to build
American morale, attacked Trenton the day after
Christmas, when he knew the Hessian defenders
would not be expecting any military action.
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The Hessians

• Hessians were mercenaries primarily from the
  Hesse-Cassel region in Germany hired by King
  George III to fight the colonial rebels
• King George, of German descent himself, hired
  more than 30,000 Hessians to fight in various
  battles
• Some Hessians found the colonies to their
  liking, switched sides, and remained in the
  United States at the end of the war

A typical Hessian soldier
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The attack on Trenton was successful for the
Americans
Washington surprised the Hessians when he and his
men reached Trenton, after crossing the
ice-clogged Delaware River and marching nine
miles through sleet and snow. In the attack that
followed, Washington and his men killed over two
dozen enemy soldiers and captured 918. They also
seized arms and ammunition. The Americans had
only a handful of wounded.
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After the Battle of Trenton Washington attacked
New Jersey again. He crossed the Delaware on
December 30, 1776, and marched on Princeton.
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Battle of Princeton January 2-3, 1777

• Nearly 1200 British soldiers were attacked by
  Washingtons forces of 1600 Continental Army
  soldiers plus 4000 militia reinforcements
• British General Cornwallis was unable to bring up
  his reinforcements before Washington forced the
  British to surrender
• Washington then marched to Morristown, New
  Jersey, set up his winter camp and waited for
  spring to attempt to take Philadelphia