Hist ory Corner
9 | The Blue Um brella Jan- Feb
Battle of Trenton
by Sam V .
Christ m as Eve , 1776 t urned out t o be m uch m ore of an event ful night t han t he Brit ish and t heir m ercenaries expect ed . Sir William Howe and t he Brit ish forces had badly beat en t he Am ericans back all t he way t o Pennsylvania . Hope was bleak , st rengt h was waning , and t he light t hat sparked t he revolut ion looked like it was st art ing t o fade . However , George Washingt on wasn ? t done ; and he caught a lucky break as Jack Frost breat hed his cold breat h across t he cont inent and held it in his icy grip .
Alt hough William Howe was a great General , he and his m en didn ? t like fight ing in cold weat her . They also liked t o part y . The Brit ish figured t hat t hey had suppressed t he rebels enough t hat t hey could finish t hem off in t he spring . A large num ber of Hessian m ercenaries were enjoying a wild Christ m as Eve Part y in Trent on , New Jersey
along t he Delaware River . Many of t hem were so busy enjoying t heir part y t hat t hey never suspect ed t he danger .
I n what som e people have considered an incredibly clever and brave m ove , ( and ot hers a foolish one ) George Washingt on m ust ered his t roops for a surprise at t ack . Loading around 2,400 m en int o sm all boat s , Washingt on and his m en set off for t he New Jersey side of t he river . Tem perat ures were well below freezing , and t he river was full of t reacherous ice .
Hist ory Corner
Washingt on and his m en reached t he ot her side of t he river very early Christ m as m orning .
The Hessians were caught com plet ely by surprise and were quickly defeat ed . Washingt on and his m en t ook over 1,000 Hessian prisoners . While not a vict ory t hat great ly affect ed t he Brit ish ; t he bat t le reinvigorat ed t he Am ericans . Hope was reborn , st rengt h was replenished , and t he light of t he fire of rebellion began t o burn bright er t han ever . Am erica was back in t he fight .