page_title: For Washington
section_title: Plot and production
hierarchical_section_title: For Washington / Plot and production
context_page_description: For Washington is a 1911 American silent short historical fiction drama film produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is a fictional account of how a patriotic maid's home is taken over by Hessian officers in the American Revolutionary War. She hides her hatred of them and plies them with drink before delivering a message to George Washington. She leads them in crossing of the Delaware River and the historic capture. The film's crossing scene was inspired by Emmanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware. The film was praised by critics, but the notion that the film was purely a historical fiction was lost on some. The film is presumed lost.
context_section_description: The film is a historical fiction of the events leading up to George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River. An official synopsis of the film states: "We all know of Washington's remarkable feat in crossing the Delaware River at Trenton with half of his command, surprising the Hessians and making them his prisoners; but how advance word of helplessness of his enemy reached the great general has ever been a matter of much mystery." There is no historical basis for such a claim as critics would highlight.
  The film begins with a maid whose home is occupied by the Hessian officers when they enter Trenton. Despite her hatred of the British red coats she accepts them and by her conduct dismisses their doubts about her loyalty. When they are resigned to a drunken sleep, for which the maid gladly offered, she takes a message from her wounded American sweetheart. She disguises herself and sets off to deliver the message to George Washington. The maid then leads Washington and his men in crossing the icy Delaware River. When they arrive at the maid's home, her wounded sweetheart lets them in so the historic capture can take place.
  The film stars Kitty Horn as the maid, but the other actors in the film are unknown. Both the scenario writer and the director of the film are unknown. Produced and released in time for Washington's Birthday, the crossing of the Delaware River was inspired by Emmanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware. Though official materials openly postulated as to how Washington received word of the British being weak, Washington's plan was never sporadic and a landing of all the men was not done at the behest of a single maid. American accounts have long held the notion that the Hessian forces would be drunk and sluggish. According to Patriot John Greenwood, who fought in the battle and supervised Hessians afterward, who wrote, "I am certain not a drop of liquor was drunk during the whole night, nor, as I could see, even a piece of bread eaten. The film is presumed lost because the film is not known to be held in any archive or by any collector.
caption: Emmanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware was depicted in the film.
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