On the Christmas night 1776 George Washington was preparing the Colonial Army to cross the Delaware River and retake Trenton which was occupied by over 1500 Hessian troops. Recently, the Colonial Army suffered staggering defeats at Fort Washington and Fort Lee in its fight for independence. The British Army forced the Colonials out of New York and New Jersey and the Washington and his army sought safety just west of the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. During these defeats Washington had many soldiers, arms, and supplies captured by the British in the process. With diminished numbers and supplies, expiring enlistment contracts, and winter setting in, the British and their Hessian allies were convinced that the beaten and battered colonists were near the point of …show more content…
Intellect Washington’s intellect played a large role in planning the attack on Trenton. The closing months of 1776 had been dire for George Washington and the Continental Army. Most recently, the losses of forts Washington and Lee had been followed by a hasty retreat across New Jersey with the army of Lord Cornwallis in close pursuit. In early December, the Americans found temporary safety by crossing the Delaware River into Pennsylvania; Washington had destroyed those boats not used in the evacuation. He knew however, that this was only temporary in keeping the British at bay until the river froze over. Washington’s army had lost more than half of its men to capture, illness, desertion and enlistment expirations at the end of the year. Faltering morale needed a boost, and it came from Thomas Paine who was serving as a volunteer aide; the stirring words of his pamphlet The American Crisis were read to the soldiers on Washington's orders. He also wanted to end the year on a positive note so, George Washington—Commander in Chief of the Continental Army—devised a plan to
I had the opportunity to read a fascinating book called 1776 by David McCullough; this is his tenth Book he has written on the subject. In this endeavoring novel he describes several significant issues that George Washington had to overcome to secure his ultimate victory in 1783. The book describes the first year of the American Revolution, especially the triumph of Boston and the failure of New York. The author details the challenges of creating and maintaining an army and then developing and drilling the militia that will be disciplined in the field of battle. He also writes that there were several problems that George Washington faced while leading the continental army.
The Battle of Trenton was pivotal to the outcome of the American Revolution. Without certain intelligence assets, General Washington would have failed at Trenton, changing the course of the war. This paper will provide a detailed analysis of the Battle of Trenton and discuss in detail human intelligence (HUMINT) and offensive counterintelligence (OFCO); both of which were critical to Washinton’s success. The Battle of Trenton Defined
In all, Washington and his army went back to the winter headquarters so they could survive the winter and be safe from all of the potential british attacks that your never know could happen. Trenton once again was known as a Trick play because the british never knew this attack would ever happen as well as losing the war which made the British feel very
Not only did he care about his soldiers at valley forge but many other times he had too. For example, “On a Christmas night, in a blizzard,he lead his men across the ice-flecked Delaware river to Trenton,NJ, surprise a drunken hessian garrison and seizes Trenton at the time…etc.” (the document “Timeline of George Washington) The battle of Trenton was a very good to successful battle that George Washington and his soldiers had. Not only did they win this battle but he showed that he really cared about his men.
The winter of 1777-1778 saw the Continental Army encamped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the harsh and brutal conditions of that winter posed a number of significant challenges to George Washington and his troops. This essay will identify and discuss five key challenges that Washington and the Continental Army faced during their time at Valley Forge. Firstly, one of the most pressing challenges was the severe lack of supplies and provisions. The Continental Army was already in a precarious position before settling at Valley Forge, but the winter conditions made it almost impossible to maintain adequate supplies of food, clothing or shelter. The Continental Congress was struggling to provide the Army with the necessary funding, and widespread
George Washington had to do something. After receiving an anonymous summons the troops had lost all of their confidence, George Washington was determined to turn his army around. They were demoralized by the nasty letter an anonymous summons wrote, George Washington couldn’t believe what they had said to his army. To this anonymous summons he said, “This dreadful alternative, of either deserting our country in the extremest hour of her distress, or turning our Arms against it, (which is the apparent object, unless Congress can be compelled into instant compliance) has something so shocking in it, that humanity revolts at the idea…to express your utmost horror and detestation of the Man who wished, under any specious pretences, to overturn the liberties of our Country, and who wickedly attempts to open the flood gates of Civil discord, and deluge our rising Empire in blood” (G. Washington). He didn't care who wrote it, he thought it was unmilitary and was very inconsistent.
On Christmas night 1776 Washington crossed the Delaware river. In 1781 he helped to plan the battle that led to the British defeat at Yorktown, Virginia and the overall defeat of the British army. Washington was an advocate of the federal government so he became the chairman of the Constitutional Convention and
As Washington guided the Continental Army with boldness trying to win the victory of Trenton, the Hessians had a surprise in store for them. Washington’s army was to spread out along the Hessian’s outposts. It was in Delaware around West Jersey on December 25th, 1776. But Washington had a different suggestion in mind. For instance, the Encyclopedia states that his army accelerated for extra Continental and militia corps, hoping it would increase the offense against the British outposts (on page 90).
The great victory of The Battle of Trenton strengthened the public's hope. Kennedy Hickman also said Howe was shocked by the American victory, so he commanded Cornwallis to move forward to Washington. This time with 8,000 soldiers. Once again Washington crossed the Delaware river on December 30,1776. George Washington united his command and prepared to face the British.
A the Americans start to cross the river, a severe snowstorm begins but the determination in Washington to attack Trenton does not decrease. He and his men continue to cross the river. As of December 26 1776, the Americans give an early morning surprise to the Hessians who were still asleep off Christmas Dinner. The Battle of Trenton lasted approximately 90 minutes After the battle the Americans moved back across the river into
Washington finally convinced the members of delegation that the Continental Congress should provide help to his army. This brought stability and endurance to his army that would last for the final three years of the
Washington ordered what was left of his army to retreat across the Delaware
The winter of 1777-78 was terribly cold, bitter, and harsh. These conditions made things very difficult for General Washington’s military unit. The unit’s morale and physical strengths were severely tested throughout this challenging and historical time. On December 19, 1777, General George Washington, the Commander of the U.S. Continental Army led the troops to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania for a few different reasons.
Fischer states that the remaining soldiers were made up of groups of state militias. As the Americans are becoming more and more discouraged, Thomas Paine writes another article called “The American Crisis”. Fischer claims that this article put the spirit back into many Americans and some went up in arms once again. As the cold winter months approached, Washington had a plan. On Christmas night, December 25, 1776; Washington would move his troops across the Delaware River.
In the winter of 1776, during American Revolution, the still young America faced three major dilemmas: their seemingly imminent defeat, the moral debate between the Whigs and the British loyalists, and the panic and confusion of the American public. In efforts to settle the three American dilemmas, Thomas Paine wrote The Crisis No. 1 in December of 1776. In his work, Paine aimed to calm the American public and convince them to stand up to the British, and turn the war into an American victory. Paine was very successful in this, and his paper was proclaimed as one of the most persuasive works of the American Revolution. Paine’s