On the night of 25 to 26 December 1776, George Washington led about 2,400 men across the ice-filled Delaware River1 in a storm and marched on the Hessian garrison holding Trenton, New Jersey. The attack struck at dawn, caught the Hessians unprepared, and captured most of the garrison in under an hour for almost no American loss. Coming after months of defeat and retreat, this small but daring victory revived the American cause when the Revolution was near collapse.
Anniversary 26 December 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Trenton; see the whole campaign in The Ten Crucial Days.
By December 1776 the American Revolution was dying. Washington had lost New York, been chased across New Jersey, and watched his army shrink toward nothing as enlistments ran out. He needed a victory, and he was willing to gamble everything on one desperate stroke across a frozen river on Christmas night.
Part of The greatest battles of the American Revolution · Before: The Fall of Fort Washington · Next: The Battle of Princeton
The darkest hour
After the loss of New York in 1776, George Washington had been driven across New Jersey and over the Delaware into Pennsylvania1, his army worn down and its enlistments due to expire at the new year. If he did nothing, the army, and perhaps the Revolution, would simply melt away. He decided to attack.
The night crossing
On the stormy night of 25 December, Washington ferried about 2,400 men, with horses and cannon, across the ice-choked Delaware River. The crossing was slow and dangerous and ran badly behind schedule1, but by early morning the army was over and marching on Trenton, held by a garrison of Hessians, German soldiers hired by the British.2
Surprise at dawn
The Americans struck at first light on 26 December, sweeping into Trenton before the Hessians could form up. In sharp street fighting the garrison was surrounded; its commander, Colonel Johann Rall, was mortally wounded.1 In under an hour it was over: about nine hundred Hessians were taken prisoner for the loss of only a few Americans.
Why Trenton mattered
In numbers Trenton was a small action, but its effect was enormous. It stunned the British, revived American morale3, and persuaded many soldiers to re-enlist.2 Days later Washington won again at Princeton.4 Together the two victories saved the cause at its lowest point and made Washington's reputation as a commander who could snatch hope from disaster.
