On December 25, 1776, Christmas night, 248 years ago, General George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, crossed the Delaware River with his 2,400 troops in a successful surprise attack upon a Hessian garrison of about 1,400 troops, located near Trenton, New Jersey.
The dramatic story would be worthy of a Shakespearian play: Washington faced several delays in his well-orchestrated plan to cross the river at three points (only one made it across); he faced spies and deserters threatening to thwart his plans by alerting the British that Trenton was likely to be attacked; and when Washington’s forces finally assembled at the launch site at around 11:00 p.m., they were pummeled with a driving rain, fierce winds lashing at the troops with snow and sleet.
