Intel Insights: Remembering Washington’s Christmastime Rally

Christmas 1776. The Revolution was not going well. The previous months had brought news that New York, Rhode Island and most of New Jersey had fallen to the British. Operational and intelligence blunders committed by Washington and his generals during these campaigns could have resulted in his dismissal as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Washington knew he needed to make a bold move in order to galvanize the Continental Army and rally the American people to his cause.

But before he could make that decisive move, Washington had to overcome a series of problems. Among these was the dwindling strength of the Continental Army. Many soldiers only enlisted for months at a time. Their enlistments were often up just as key campaigns were about to get underway. More importantly, though, poor sanitary conditions and lack of medical care resulted in extraordinarily high deaths from diseases like dysentery and malaria.

Soldiers also lacked adequate clothing and shoes. More than one contemporary account describes bloody footprints left by barefoot Revolutionary soldiers in the snow.

Both combatants and non-combatants had experienced the scourge of war by this point in the Revolution. For the combatants, the brutality of the British Red Coats and their Hessian mercenary allies was particularly visible when they killed scores of Americans trying to surrender during the battles for New York. They imprisoned thousands of others in conditions that could only be described as barbaric.

For non-combatants, their farms were routinely pillaged and their cities laid waste by fire, as had happened in New York that September. Some tried to switch sides to protect their families and property. Most failed to buy safety or protection in this way.

There were, however, other currents affecting political sentiments in 1776. For one thing, news of British and Hessian brutality against both soldiers and civilians spread like wildfire throughout the colonies. Such stories not only spurred enlistments in the Continental Army, but they also helped convince many to provide material support to the Revolutionary cause.

Additionally, accounts of such atrocities served as the catalyst for Thomas Paine’s essay, The American Crisis, which begins with the stirring words: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

First appearing in print on Dec. 19, Paine’s words quickly galvanized the young nation. They could only have inspired Washington and his troops to attempt one of the most audacious operations in our nation’s military history.

After losing New York and being chased by the British and their Hessian allies across New Jersey, Washington saw an opportunity to halt the British campaign. He decided to attack the Hessian garrison at Trenton.

His original plan called for a three-pronged attack. Three separate American forces would cross the Delaware River at different points and converge on Trenton and surprise the Hessians encamped there. They would do so under the cover of darkness on Christmas night.

That would have been difficult enough, but a violent winter storm ripped through the American encampments along the Delaware River just as the troops were about to board boats to cross the river. It was a classic “nor’easter”. Rain, sleet, hail and snow pummeled the attacking force. The storm also created dangerous ice floes, making it impossible for two of the three American forces to cross the Delaware. Washington’s force was the only one able to do so.

Once they got to the New Jersey side, they found the roads to be practically impassable. At one point, Washington discovered his troops’ movements were four hours behind schedule.

But Washington’s soldiers not only managed to get themselves to Trenton a little after dawn; they also brought a few cannons that would prove to be decisive in the ensuing battle with a well-entrenched and well-prepared enemy. Most importantly, they achieved surprise and benefited from an amazingly accurate intelligence picture. They had clearly learned from their failures.

The Americans routed the Hessians during this Christmas raid on Trenton. It proved to be both a victory and a turning point in the American Revolution. Although there would be other grave challenges to the American cause in the years ahead, the victory at Trenton served to inspire generations of American patriots. It showed what thorough preparation, willingness to learn from previous failures, determination in the face of overwhelming odds, and good intelligence could do to further a worthy cause.

This Christmas we can thank a band of patriots for showing us the way 235 years ago.

Cedric Leighton lives in Lorton and is the Founder and President of Cedric Leighton Associates, a Washington area strategic risk and management consultancy.