Washington Crossing the Delaware | A250 Mini Documentary
In December 1776, as the Revolutionary War teetered on the edge of collapse, Thomas Paine warned that “these are the times that try men’s souls.” British forces had driven the Continental Army out of New York and across New Jersey, enlistments were expiring, supplies were scarce, and the promise of independence declared only months earlier seemed close to slipping away. George Washington faced a stark choice: act boldly or watch the cause of liberty fall apart.
On Christmas night, Washington chose action. Battling a fierce winter storm, his army crossed the icy Delaware River and launched a surprise attack on Hessian forces at Trenton, followed days later by another victory at Princeton. These daring strikes revived American morale, preserved the Continental Army, and demonstrated that perseverance and resolve could sustain the principles of the Declaration of Independence. In the darkest days of the Revolution, Washington’s leadership helped ensure that the struggle for self-government would endure.
0:04 These are the times that try men’s souls.
0:07 The Summer soldier and the Sunshine Patriot will,
0:10 in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country.
0:14 The he that stands by it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
0:21 Thomas Paine wrote these stirring words in December
0:24 1776, during the darkest hours of the Revolutionary War.
0:29 To rally the patriot army under George Washington,
0:32 the independence, declared only five months before, was in jeopardy.
0:36 A massive British army with Hessian mercenaries landed that summer
0:41 and drove the Americans back through new Jersey to the Delaware River.
0:46 The army dwindled as American enlistments ended,
0:50 and the men melted away to their farms.
0:52 Washington had few supplies and money for his men.
0:56 The realization of the declaration and its principles
0:59 required the preservation of the Continental Army, and victory.
1:07 After the Americans fled across the Delaware,
1:10 the British retired to winter quarters and left a garrison of Hessians
1:14 in Trenton to guard against an attack.
1:17 Thousands of enlistments would end on January 1st.
1:21 If he hesitated, all would be lost.
1:25 Washington faced a moment of decision launch a bold attack
1:29 or watch his army crumble and the cause of liberty fell.
1:34 He would cross the Delaware and attack on Christmas night.
1:39 As evening descended.
1:41 A fierce nor’easter raged, the losing the men
1:44 with rain, hail and snow.
1:47 The temperatures plummeted.
1:49 The winds howled across the barren landscape.
1:53 Washington deployed his army into three groups to cross the turbulent river.
1:58 Only one made it across.
2:01 The intrepid sailors of John Glover’s Marblehead unit
2:05 deftly ferried men, horses and artillery without losing a soul.
2:11 They landed ten miles north of Trenton and prepared to force march
2:15 through the driving storm to surprise the enemy.
2:20 Two columns of men set off for Trenton,
2:23 some marching with only bloody rags on their frozen feet.
2:27 Two men dropped, dead of exposure.
2:30 Finally, they descended upon the town from the north and south.
2:34 As the winter sun rose that morning,
2:37 the invading army swarmed into town, and their first shot shocked Hessians.
2:41 Roused from their sleep,
2:44 they grabbed their weapons and fought back against the Americans.
2:47 100 Hessians fell, but they almost turned the tide.
2:52 That is, until Henry Knox and the young Alexander Hamilton
2:56 boarded the attack with whiffs of grapeshot from their cannons.
3:01 Shortly,
3:02 900 Hessians were captured and taken prisoner.
3:05 There were hundreds escaped to warn the British.
3:08 Washington said, this is a glorious day for our country
3:13 and slipped his army back across the Delaware.
3:16 With the victory they so desperately needed.
3:20 With enlistments expiring within days, the general wished to strike again,
3:24 especially with word that British General Cornwallis
3:27 was marching in their direction with 8000 men.
3:30 Washington marched his army back across the frozen river
3:34 and took positions in Trenton.
3:36 They waited
3:39 on December 31st.
3:40 Washington addressed his men, offering them a $10 bounty
3:44 to remain and fight one last time.
3:48 Few soldiers stepped forward to accept the general, looked them over,
3:52 and dramatically made one last patriotic appeal.
3:57 My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do,
4:01 and more than can be reasonably expected, but your country is at stake.
4:06 Your wives, your houses, and all that you hold dear.
4:11 You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know
4:15 not how to spare you, if you will consent to stay only a month longer.
4:21 You will render that service to the cause of liberty and to your country.
4:27 Cornwallis arrived late on
4:28 January 2nd, and his redcoats skirmished with the Americans.
4:32 He was not in any rush and said, we’ve got the old fox safe now.
4:37 We’ll go over and beg him in the morning.
4:41 That evening, the Americans lit roaring campfires and made a racket.
4:45 But it was all a ruse to allow most of the Patriots
4:48 to slip away quietly in the darkness.
4:51 They marched ten miles that night through snow and ice,
4:55 and encountered the British garrison at Princeton.
4:59 The resulting battle went back and forth as the British
5:01 formed up and counterattacked.
5:04 Washington rode to the front to rally his men with bullets whizzing by.
5:08 He shouted, parade with us!
5:11 There is about a handful of enemy, and we will have them directly.
5:16 The Americans drove the British back to the college,
5:19 and Hamilton’s artillery blasted away at the broken British lines.
5:24 But Cornwallis realized he had been duped and was moving toward Princeton.
5:28 Washington safely withdrew his army with another
5:32 great victory at hand.
5:35 The battles of Trenton and Princeton demonstrated American resolve
5:39 during the most difficult days of the American Revolution.
5:42 Washington’s audacious leadership and his men’s perseverance under adversity
5:47 bolstered the patriotic cause of liberty.
5:51 The Army won great victories that winter
5:54 and eventually the Revolutionary War to create the American Republic.
5:59 Deeply rooted in the principles of the Declaration of Independence.
