Trenton Battle Monument The Trenton Battle Monument is a massive column - type structure in Trenton , Mercer County , New Jersey , United States . It commemorates the December 26 , 1776 Battle of Trenton , a pivotal victory for the Continental forces during the American Revolutionary War . Description . Designed by John H . Duncan , the architect of Grant ' s Tomb , the monument is an early example of Beaux - Arts architecture in America . The design is based on " The Monument " , a 1671 structure built to commemorate the Great Fire of London , on the London street where the 1666 fire started . The height of the Trenton monument is intentionally the same height as the London monument . The hollow Roman - Doric fluted column of the monument is constructed of granite , as is the pedestal which supports it , although slightly darker stone was used to give the base the appearance of more solidity . The column is capped by a small , round pavilion , forming an observation deck ; accessible by means of an electric elevator , that has provided thousands of tourists an excellent view of the city and the surrounding scene of the battle . Encircling the column , just above the cap , thirteen electric lights , symbolizing the original Thirteen Colonies , shed their radiance at night . The pavilion is surmounted by an acanthus leaf pedestal where , atop the entire structure , a colossal bronze statue of General George Washington by William Rudolf O ' Donovan crowns the monument . Washington is depicted as he appeared at the opening of the engagement and , with his extended right hand , directs the fire of the Continental artillery down King ( now Warren ) Street . The figure is feet tall , while the monument , including the statue , is above street level . On the base of the pedestal are two bronze relief panels by Thomas Eakins depicting " The Continental Army Crossing the Delaware River " and " The Opening of the Battle . " The latter panel depicts the battery of Alexander Hamilton about to fire down King Street . A third bronze relief panel , " The Surrender of the Hessians , " was modeled by Charles Henry Niehaus . On the north side of the pedestal is a bronze tablet presented by the Society of the Cincinnati of New Jersey . Guarding the entrance to the monument stand two bronze figures of Continental soldiers by O ' Donovan . One is a statue of Private John Russell , a member of Colonel John Glover ' s Marblehead Regiment of seafaring men from Marblehead , Massachusetts , who gained fame by transporting Washington ' s army across the ice - choked Delaware River on the night of December 25 – 26 , 1776 . The other figure is modeled after a likeness of Private Blair McClenachan , of the Philadelphia Light Horse Troop , a unit which also took part in the battle . History . The monument is located in an area of the city known as " Five Points " . It was here , at the intersection of Warren ( King ) Street , North Broad ( Queen ) Street , Brunswick , Pennington and Princeton Avenues , that the American artillery was placed . From this high vantage point , they dominated the streets of Trenton , preventing the Hessian troops from organizing an effective counterattack . A movement to erect a monument commemorating the victory at Trenton began in 1843 . About forty years later in 1886 , the property for the monument was acquired by the Trenton Monument Association . To build the monument , the New Jersey legislature appropriated $ 15 , 000 , Congress $ 30 , 000 , and citizens contributed $ 15 , 000 . Monument Park at the " Five Points " was acquired under the provisions of an ordinance passed June 28 , 1893 . The cornerstone was laid Saturday , December 26 , 1891 , on the 115th anniversary of the Battle of Trenton . The base and pedestal were erected in the spring of 1892 , the capstone raised into position on Saturday , August 31 , 1893 , and the statue of General Washington finally placed atop the shaft September 5 of the same year . The completed memorial was dedicated with elaborate ceremonies on October 19 , 1893 , the 112th anniversary of the surrender of General Lord Cornwallis at the Siege of Yorktown in Virginia ; in attendance were eight governors of the original thirteen states . Although various changes have taken place in the immediate vicinity of the monument since its dedication , the commanding figure of Washington still looks down upon the city , which has developed from what was a small village in 1776 . The monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 .