.... During the winter of 1776 the prospect of America winning the war was looking grim. The time for the enlisted army was about to expire on December 31 and most men were not interested in returning to the army. Washington realized that if he didn't make a move immediately he would lose most of his army. Then, in preparation for his surprise attack he ordered all boats along the Delaware River to be confiscated and brought to the Pennsylvania side. The river at that time was extremely icy and treacherous to cross, so Washington used professional boatmen from Massachusettes who could navigate the waters.
Under the cover of night on Christmas night, 1776, Washington and 2400 men crossed the river at McKonkey's Ferry . It took until about 3 am for all of the men and artillery to cross, but not a single man, horse, or gun was lost in the crossing.
Washington and his men then marched 9 miles to Trenton where they surprised the Hessian forces there and won the Battle of Trenton. This was one of the major turning points in the American Revolution.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all... a good night.
Posted by: bunuel | Wednesday, 26 December 2012 at 10:20 AM
Posted by: Yael | Thursday, 27 December 2012 at 09:35 AM