The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-08

Bristol, with ~detachments at Newtown
ty. All this time the Kings troops made
at Trenton and Bordentown. the most
important positions nearest the Ameri-
f faoop arm Tihe ne sef garflsoo of tb wleh m Germ bad
been bought of Frederick H., Landgrave
Of Hesse-Cassel of Charles l.. Duke of
brnnswIck. Of Frederick, Prince Of Wal
Germany for e Is. each shs British Rdtis none money =
Three regiments of Hessian infantry, a
sian yagers and twenty dragons of the
Sixteenth British Regiment, about four
teen hundred men. We're quartered in
General. Washington realized that some
thing NAG 70 be attempted, so he wrote
to ms brother, II every. nerve Is not
strained l think the game is pretty nearly
up, He added: You a form no idea
Of the pe~rplexity Of my situation; no
Of difficulties and less means to e~xtricate
himself from them He was full Of
cheer to the men. as he encouraged them
countenance bade them look with conf
dence to a brighter day. He prepared for
a simultaneous attack on the commands
of Won Donop, at Moorestown, in Burling-
ton county, and Rail, in Trenton. 1t is
with the latter force that this sketch has
BY two o'clock on the morning of
Christmas some. regiments of the main
army were, moving towards McKonkey,s
those detailed for this service were on the
march, tinging the light snow which had
fallen with the blood from their feet.
Each soldier had three days cooked ra-
tons and each carried forty pounds of
TRADITIONS OF THE SPOT.
craft which Gould be collected in the up
per waters Of the Delaware; The river on
by noon on Wednesday, the 18th, was
filled with moving cakes of ice, and the
current became swift and dangerous. AS
down the river to begin the crossing.
Naturally a place of so much historic
interest IS not without its traditions and
its stories which have been handed down
by the oldest inhabitant." and as is SO
often the case, the true versions of
many of these stories hav become so
and vivid imagination through which
they have passed tina they ave now
become almost legendary.
On the road leading from McKonkey,s
ferry to the Bear Tavern, along which
Washington and his army passed after
crossing the river is a house in which
Benjamin Moore lived at that time. Ira
d.tion has it that the Father of his
Country stopped at this mouse and took
breakfast. A more critical view of the
circumstances, however, reveals the fact
that last boat in which General Wash
ington was, crossed somewhere about
three o'clock in the morning, and as
haste was not essential TO the success
of the expedition It is highly improbable
that Washington dismounted from his
horse to breakfast deliberately.
A more plausible story is that which
says that Mr.. Moore carried some break
fast out to the great General as he sat
on his horse.
A number of pictures have been paint
ed representing General Washington
crossing the river.
AN INCORRECT PICTURE.
The picture of Leutze representing
Washington crossing from New Jersey
toward Pennsylvania, holding the Stars
and Stripes.
This is entirely wrong, not only from
the direction in which the boat IS repre-
scented as moving, but also the shape OF
the boat, the presence of the stars ana
Stripes. which had not then been adopt
ed, and the fact of a general officer
carrying them, that being the duty of a
sergeant.
The picture by Sully is much more re
liable. This represents General Wash
ington and General Knox standing on
the bank experimenting the crossing. :.
Many persons nave the idea that ah
the troops crossed at the one place, Nc
Konkey's ferry, but this is a mistake.
for the army was stationed along the river
for -three-uuarters of a mile, and crossed
over from where they were stationed,
JOINING the main army on the New Jer-
sew side. -,
doubtless attract a large number OF PEG
pie to Wash.ngton's Crossing. and the
occasion will be an impressive one