Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton took place on the morning of December 26 , 1776 , during the American Revolutionary War , after General George Washington ' s crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton , New Jersey . The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the Continental Army against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton . After a brief battle , nearly the entire Hessian force was captured , with negligible losses to the Americans . The battle significantly boosted the Continental Army ' s flagging morale , and inspired reenlistments . The Continental Army had previously suffered several defeats in New York and had been forced to retreat through New Jersey to Pennsylvania . Morale in the army was low ; to end the year on a positive note , George Washington — Commander - in - Chief of the Continental Army — devised a plan to cross the Delaware River on the night of December 25 – 26 and surround the Hessian garrison . Because the river was icy and the weather severe , the crossing proved dangerous . Two detachments were unable to cross the river , leaving Washington with only 2 , 400 men under his command in the assault . The army marched south to Trenton . The Hessians had lowered their guard , thinking they were safe from the American army , and had no long - distance outposts or patrols . Washington ' s forces caught them off guard and , after a short but fierce resistance , most of the Hessians surrendered . Almost two thirds of the 1 , 500 - man garrison was captured , and only a few troops escaped across Assunpink Creek . Despite the battle ' s small numbers , the American victory inspired rebels in the colonies . With the success of the revolution in doubt a week earlier , the army had seemed on the verge of collapse . The dramatic victory inspired soldiers to serve longer and attracted new recruits to the ranks . Background . In early December 1776 , American morale was very low . The Americans had been ousted from New York by the British and their Hessian auxiliaries , and the Continental Army was forced to retreat across New Jersey . Ninety percent of the Continental Army soldiers who had served at Long Island were gone . Men had deserted , feeling that the cause for independence was lost . Washington , Commander - in - Chief of the Continental Army , expressed some doubts , writing to his cousin in Virginia , " I think the game is pretty near up . " At the time a small town in New Jersey , Trenton was occupied by three regiments of Hessian soldiers commanded by Colonel Johann Rall , numbering about 1 , 400 men . Washington ' s force comprised 2 , 400 men , with infantry divisions commanded by Major Generals Nathanael Greene and John Sullivan , and artillery under the direction of Brigadier General Henry Knox . Prelude . American plan . The American plan relied on launching coordinated attacks from three directions . General John Cadwalader would launch a diversionary attack against the British garrison at Bordentown , New Jersey , to block off reinforcements from the south . General James Ewing would take 700 militia across the river at Trenton Ferry , seize the bridge over the Assunpink Creek and prevent enemy troops from escaping . The main assault force of 2 , 400 men would cross the river north of Trenton and split into two groups – one under Greene and one under Sullivan – to launch a pre - dawn attack . Sullivan would attack the town from the south and Greene from the north . Depending on the success of the operation , the Americans would possibly follow up with separate attacks on Princeton and New Brunswick . During the week before the battle , American advance parties began to ambush enemy cavalry patrols , capturing dispatch riders and attacking Hessian pickets . The Hessian commander , to emphasize the danger to his men , sent 100 infantry and an artillery detachment to deliver a letter to the British commander at Princeton . Washington ordered Ewing and his Pennsylvania militia to try to gain information on Hessian movements and technology . Ewing instead made three successful raids across the river . On December 17 and 18 they attacked an outpost of jäger s and on the 21st , they set fire to several houses . Washington put constant watches on all possible crossings near the Continental Army encampment on the Delaware , as he believed William Howe would launch an attack from the north on Philadelphia if the river froze over . On December 20 , 2 , 000 troops led by General Sullivan arrived in Washington ' s camp . They had been under the command of Charles Lee , and had been moving slowly through northern New Jersey when Lee was captured . That same day , an additional 800 troops arrived from Fort Ticonderoga under the command of Horatio Gates . Hessian moves . On December 14 , the Hessians arrived in Trenton to establish their winter quarters . At the time , Trenton was a small town with about 100 houses and two main streets , King ( now Warren ) Street and Queen ( now Broad ) Street . Carl von Donop , Rall ' s superior , had marched south to Mount Holly on December 22 to deal with the resistance in New Jersey , and had clashed with some New Jersey militia there on December 23 . Donop , who despised Rall , was reluctant to give command of Trenton to him . Rall was known to be loud and unacquainted with the English language , but he was also a 36 - year soldier with a great deal of battle experience . His request for reinforcements had been turned down by British commander General James Grant , who disdained the American rebels and thought them poor soldiers . Despite Rall ' s experience , the Hessians at Trenton did not admire their commander . They believed that he was too nice , and not ruthless enough to be successful . His officers complained , " His love of life was too great , a thought came to him , then another , so he could not settle on a firm decision . . . " Rall avoided hard work and had little concern for his troops ' comfort . Trenton lacked city walls or fortifications , which was typical of American settlements . Some Hessian officers advised Rall to fortify the town , and two of his engineers advised that a redoubt be constructed at the upper end of town , and fortifications be built along the river . The engineers went so far as to draw up plans , but Rall disagreed with them . When Rall was again urged to fortify the town , he replied , " Let them come . . . We will go at them with the bayonet . " As Christmas approached , Loyalists came to Trenton to report the Americans were planning action . American deserters told the Hessians that rations were being prepared for an advance across the river . Rall publicly dismissed such talk as nonsense , but privately in letters to his superiors , he said he was worried about an imminent attack . He wrote to Donop that he was " liable to be attacked at any moment " . Rall said that Trenton was " indefensible " and asked that British troops establish a garrison in Maidenhead ( now Lawrenceville ) . Close to Trenton , this would help defend the roads from Americans . His request was denied . As the Americans disrupted Hessian supply lines , the officers started to share Rall ' s fears . One wrote , " We have not slept one night in peace since we came to this place . " On December 22 , a spy reported to Grant that Washington had called a council of war ; Grant told Rall to " be on your guard " . The main Hessian force of 1 , 500 men was divided into three regiments : Knyphausen , Lossberg and Rall . That night , they did not send out any patrols because of the severe weather . Crossing and march . Before Washington and his troops left , Benjamin Rush came to cheer up the General . While he was there , he saw a note Washington had written , saying , " Victory or Death " . Those words would be the password for the surprise attack . Each soldier carried 60 rounds of ammunition , and three days of rations . When the army arrived at the shores of the Delaware , they were already behind schedule , and clouds began to form above them . It began to rain . As the air ' s temperature dropped , the rain changed to sleet , and then to snow . The Americans began to cross the river , with John Glover in command . The men went across in Durham boat s , while the horses and artillery went across on large ferries . The 14th Continental Regiment of Glover manned the boats . During the crossing , several men fell overboard , including Colonel John Haslet . Haslet was quickly pulled out of the water . No one died during the crossing , and all the artillery pieces made it over in good condition . Two small detachments of infantry of about 40 men each were ordered ahead of main columns . They set roadblocks ahead of the main army , and were to take prisoner whoever came into or left the town . One of the groups was sent north of Trenton , and the other was sent to block River Road , which ran along the Delaware River to Trenton . The terrible weather conditions delayed the landings in New Jersey until 3 : 00 am ; the plan was that they were supposed to be completed by 12 : 00 am . Washington realized it would be impossible to launch a pre - dawn attack . Another setback occurred for the Americans , as generals Cadwalader and Ewing were unable to join the attack due to the weather conditions . At 4 : 00 am , the soldiers began to march towards Trenton . Along the way , several civilians joined as volunteers , and led as guides ( see Captain John Mott ) because of their knowledge of the terrain . After marching through winding roads into the wind , they reached Bear Tavern where they turned right . The ground was slippery , but it was level , making it easier for the horses and artillery . They began to make better time . They soon reached Jacobs Creek , where , with difficulty , the Americans made it across . The two groups stayed together until they reached Birmingham , where they split apart . Soon after , they reached the house of Benjamin Moore , where the family offered food and drink to Washington . At this point , the first signs of daylight began to appear . Many of the troops did not have boots , so they were forced to wear rags around their feet . Some of the men ' s feet bled , turning the snow to a dark red . Two men died on the trip . As they marched , Washington rode up and down the line , encouraging the men to continue . General Sullivan sent a courier to tell Washington that the weather was wetting his men ' s gunpowder . Washington responded , " Tell General Sullivan to use the bayonet . I am resolved to take Trenton . " About outside the town , the main columns reunited with the advance parties . They were startled by the sudden appearance of 50 armed men , but they were American . Led by Adam Stephen , they had not known about the plan to attack Trenton , and had attacked a Hessian outpost . Washington feared the Hessians would have been put on guard , and shouted at Stephen , " You sir ! You Sir , may have ruined all my plans by having them put on their guard . " Despite this , Washington ordered the advance continue to Trenton . In the event , Rall thought the first raid was the attack which Grant had warned him about , and that there would be no further action that day . Battle . American attack . At about 8 am , the outpost was set up by the Hessians at a cooper shop on Pennington Road about one mile north - west of Trenton . Washington led the assault , riding in front of his soldiers . As the Hessian commander of the outpost , Lieutenant Andreas von Wiederholdt , left the shop , an American fired at him . Wiederholdt shouted , " " Der Feind ! " " ( The Enemy ! ) and other Hessians came out . The Americans fired three volleys and the Hessians returned one of their own . Washington ordered Edward Hand ' s Pennsylvania Riflemen and a battalion of German - speaking infantry to block the road that led to Princeton . They attacked the Hessian outpost there . Wiederholdt soon realized that this was more than a raiding party ; seeing other Hessians retreating from the outpost , he led his men to do the same . Both Hessian detachments made organized retreats , firing as they fell back . On the high ground at the north end of Trenton , they were joined by a duty company from the Lossberg Regiment . They engaged the Americans , retreating slowly , keeping up continuous fire and using houses for cover . Once in Trenton , they gained covering fire from other Hessian guard companies on the outskirts of the town . Another guard company nearer to the Delaware River rushed east to their aid , leaving open the River Road into Trenton . Washington ordered the escape route to Princeton be cut off , sending infantry in battle formation to block it , while artillery formed at the head of King and Queen streets . Leading the southern American column , General Sullivan entered Trenton by the abandoned river road and blocked the only crossing over the Assunpink Creek to cut off the Hessian escape . Sullivan briefly held up his advance to make sure Greene ' s division had time to drive the Hessians from their outposts in the north . Soon after , they continued their advance , attacking the Hermitage , home of Philemon Dickinson , where 50 Jägers under the command of Lieutenant von Grothausen were stationed . Lieutenant von Grothausen brought 12 of his Jägers into action against the advanced guard , but had only advanced a few hundred yards when he saw a column of Americans advancing to the Hermitage . Pulling back to the Hessian barracks , he was joined by the rest of the Jägers . After the exchange of one volley , they turned and ran , some trying to swim across the creek , while others escaped over the bridge , which had not yet been cut off . The 20 British Dragoons also fled . As Greene and Sullivan ' s columns pushed into the town , Washington moved to high ground north of King and Queens streets to see the action and direct his troops . By this time , American artillery from the other side of the Delaware River came into action , devastating the Hessian positions . With the sounding alarm , the three Hessian regiments began to prepare for battle . The Rall regiment formed on lower King Street along with the Lossberg Regiment , while the Knyphausen Regiment formed at the lower end of Queen Street . Lieutenant Piel , Rall ' s brigade adjutant , woke his commander , who found that the rebels had taken the " V " of the main streets of the town . This is where the engineers had recommended building a redoubt . Rall ordered his regiment to form up at the lower end of King Street , the Lossberg regiment to prepare for an advance up Queen Street , and the Knyphausen regiment to stand by as a reserve for Rall ' s advance up King Street . The American cannon stationed at the head of the two main streets soon came into action . In reply , Rall directed his regiment , supported by a few companies of the Lossberg regiment , to clear the guns . The Hessians formed ranks and began to advance up the street , but their formations were quickly broken by the American guns and fire from Mercer ' s men who had taken houses on the left side of the street . Breaking ranks , the Hessians fled . Rall ordered two three - pound cannon into action . After getting off six rounds each , within just a few minutes , half of the Hessians ' manning their guns were killed by the American cannon . After the men fled to cover behind houses and fences , their cannon were taken by the Americans . Following capture of the cannon , men under the command of George Weedon advanced down King Street . On Queen Street , all Hessian attempts to advance up the street were repulsed by guns under the command of Thomas Forrest . After firing four rounds each , two more Hessian guns were silenced . One of Forrest ' s Howitzers was put out of action with a broken axle . The Knyphausen Regiment became separated from the Lossberg and the Rall regiments . The Lossberg and the Rall fell back to a field outside town , taking heavy losses from grapeshot and musket fire . In the southern part of the town , Americans under command of Sullivan began to overwhelm the Hessians . John Stark led a bayonet charge at the Knyphausen regiment , whose resistance broke because their weapons would not fire . Sullivan led a column of men to block off escape of troops across the creek . Hessian resistance collapses . The Hessians in the field attempted to reorganize , and make one last attempt to retake the town so they could make a breakout . Rall decided to attack the American flank on the heights north of the town . Rall yelled " Forward ! Advance ! Advance ! " , and the Hessians began to move , with the brigade ' s band playing fifes , bugles and drums to help the Hessians ' spirit . Washington , still on high ground , saw the Hessians approaching the American flank . He moved his troops to assume battle formation against the enemy . The two Hessian Regiments began marching toward King Street , but were caught in American fire that came at them from three directions . Some Americans had taken up defensive positions inside houses , reducing their exposure . Some civilians joined the fight against the Hessians . Despite this , they continued to push , recapturing their cannon . At the head of King Street , Knox saw the Hessians had retaken the cannon and ordered his troops to take them . Six men ran and , after a brief struggle , seized the cannon , turning them on the Hessians . With most of the Hessians unable to fire their guns , the attack stalled . The Hessians ' formations broke , and they began to scatter . Rall was mortally wounded . Washington led his troops down from high ground while yelling , " March on , my brave fellows , after me ! " Most of the Hessians retreated into an orchard , with the Americans in close pursuit . Quickly surrounded , the Hessians were offered , and agreed , to surrender . Although ordered to join Rall , the remains of the Knyphausen Regiment mistakenly marched in the opposite direction . They tried to escape across the bridge , but found it had been taken . The Americans quickly swept in , defeating a Hessian attempt to break through their lines . Surrounded by Sullivan ' s men , the regiment surrendered , just minutes after the rest of the brigade . Casualties and capture . The Hessian forces suffered 22 fatalities , 83 serious injuries , and 896 captures . The Americans suffered only two fatalities and five injuries from war wounds . Including American soldiers who died of exhaustion , exposure , and illness in the following days , total American fatalities from the expedition may have been higher than those of the Hessians . The captured Hessians were sent to Philadelphia and later Lancaster . In 1777 they were moved to Virginia . Rall was mortally wounded and died later that day at his headquarters . All four Hessian colonels in Trenton were killed in the battle . The Lossberg regiment was effectively removed from the British forces . Parts of the Knyphausen regiment escaped to the south , but Sullivan captured some 200 additional men , along with the regiment ' s cannons and supplies . Also captured were approximately 1 , 000 arms and some much - needed ammunition . Myths . Popular history portrayed the Hessians as having been drunk from Christmas celebrations . An officer in Washington ' s staff wrote before the battle , " They make a great deal of Christmas in Germany , and no doubt the Hessians will drink a great deal of beer and have a dance to - night . They will be sleepy to - morrow morning . " However , historian David Hackett Fischer said , " It wasn ' t so . " He points out that an American soldier John Greenwood , who fought in the battle and supervised Hessians afterward , said , " 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 . " Military historian Edward G . Lengel said , " The Germans were dazed and tired but there is no truth to the legend claiming that they were helplessly drunk . " Effects . Following the surrender of the Hessians , Washington is reported to have grabbed the hand of a young officer and said " This is a glorious day for our country . " He soon learned that Cadwalader and Ewing had been unable to make the crossing , leaving his worn - out army of 2 , 400 men isolated . Without their 2 , 600 men , Washington realized he did not have the forces to attack Princeton and New Brunswick . This small but decisive battle , as with the later Battle of Cowpens , had an effect disproportionate to its size . The colonial effort was galvanized , and the Americans overturned the psychological dominance achieved by the British Government troops in the previous months . Howe was stunned by the Hessian garrison ' s being so easily surprised and overwhelmed . Fischer argues the changing attitudes were buoyed more by writings of Thomas Paine and additional successful actions by the New Jersey Militia than they were by the Battle of Trenton . Aftermath and legacy . By noon , Washington ' s force had moved across the Delaware back into Pennsylvania , taking their prisoners and captured supplies with them . This battle gave the Continental Congress a new confidence , as it proved colonial forces could defeat regulars . It also increased re - enlistments in the Continental Army forces . By defeating a European army , the colonials reduced the fear which the Hessians had caused earlier that year after the fighting in New York . Two notable American officers were wounded : William Washington , cousin of the General , and Lieutenant James Monroe , the future President of the United States . Monroe was carried from the field bleeding badly after he was struck in the left shoulder by a musket ball , which severed an artery . Doctor John Riker clamped the artery , preventing him from bleeding to death . The hours before the battle served as the inspiration for the painting " Washington Crossing the Delaware " by German American artist Emanuel Leutze . The image in the painting , in which Washington stands majestic in his boat as it crosses the Delaware River , is generally believed to be more symbolic than historically accurate . The waters of the river were icy and treacherous , and the flag Monroe holds was not created until six months after the battle . In addition , contrary to the painting , the crossing occurred before dawn . On the other hand , Fischer argues that because the crossing took place in a storm , people may have stood to avoid sitting in icy water in the boats . Because of its emotional content , the painting has become an icon of American history . The Trenton Battle Monument , erected at " Five Points " in Trenton , stands as a tribute to this American victory . The crossing of the Delaware and battle are reenacted by local enthusiasts every year ( unless the weather is too severe on the river ) . Eight current Army National Guard units ( 101st Eng Bn , 103rd Eng Bn , A / 1 - 104th Cav , 111th Inf , 125th QM Co , 175th Inf , 181st Inf and 198th Sig Bn ) and one currently - active Regular Army Artillery battalion ( 1 – 5th FA ) are derived from American units that participated in the Battle of Trenton . There are only thirty current units of the U . S . Army with colonial roots .