The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-02-22
WILL DEDICATE NATIONAL PARK WHERE WASHINGTON THE
MAN OF FEARS AND HOPES ANNIEILATED THE HESSIANS
lspeciaI Correspondence.l


PHILADELPHIA. Pa. Feb. %.
The states OF New Jersey and
Pennsylvania have decided to
dedicate thee land on both sides of
that ford of the Delaware river
known as "Washington's Cross
ing" as national park.
Late afternoon of Christmas
day, 1776 A handful Of ragged
soldiers in the continental uni
form struggling along the snowy
road to the river. Mittened
hands bent around flintlock mus
kets with apparent effort. Muf-
flers of homespun yarn of every
hue wound about necks, and tat
ters are drawn in closely about
them, for the day Ia dying in Bit
ter cold.
Flush against the road an old
fashioned colonial farm house-a
rectangle, wide clapboards, two
stories high, low gable roof, shin
gled, no porch.
In the doorway an officer lean
ing, booted and spurred, wearing
light-colored riding breeches,
epaulets on the shoulders of his
split-tailed coat, sword, a pow
dered periwig and triangular
cooked hat. His face is pale.
He, the general, watches his
army of tatterdemalions pass. The
snow, trampled by their feet, is
blood-flecked here and there,
where some honest toe, having
worn through the shoe, had
stubbed against the ice.
The men in that picture were
going to battle. The general was
Geo. Washington.
The backbone of the revolt
against oppression seemed broken.
Defeat was in the air. 1t was
only with the greatest effort that
Washington had been able to
keep up his army of 1000 men.
The British had overrun the
Jerseys. CORVALLIS had been or
dered back to England. Howe
was content to leave the final hui
initiation of the rebels" in the
hands of England's hired men,
the Hessians.
Behind Washington there was
treachery, for his own generals
were plotting for position. Ahead
was iubilant, successful enemy.
His own spirits were low.
Yet he determined to strike
once more-at Trenton, where
Col. Rail and 1900 Hessians had
quartered themselves, disdainful-
ly scorning to even throw up in
trenchments.
Let the rebels come; we will
at them with the. bayonet," Rail
had said.
Washington determined to
strike Trenton at daylight the
morning after Christmas, when
the Germans would be sleeping
off their holiday festivities.
He led his troops to the Della
ware. Toward midnight it came
on to snow thickly, but the cross
ing was effected nevertheless
Boats were hastily provided. The
men bent pike poles against the
ice cakes and their backs over the
oars. AT a. m. the troops
stood on the Jersey side.
A nine-mile march to Trenton.
The firing at the outposts awoke
the Hessians from their drunken
slumbers, but the Americans were
upon them before their sleepy
lines were half formed. In 35
minutes Washington had 1000
prisoners, 1900 small arms, six
cannon and all the German
standards.
The blow gave life to the revo-
luton that carried 1t to success.
CORVALLIS was sent back to New
Jersey. The frontiersman lost
his dread of the Hessian. The
American generals stopped in
triguing. The militia flocked to
Washington's standard.
The crossing place is to be
dedicated as a national park. On
this day of many jokes about
Washington's truthfulness and
the immortal cherry tree wouldn't
1t. be well, also, to think OF
Washington, not as a mythical
character, but as a man of hopes
and fears, whose courage at the
Delaware brought us our Ameri-
can liberty?