Battle Of Trenton

	caption	'' Washington Crossing The Delaware '' by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze
	partof	the American Revolutionary War
	date	December 26 , 1776
	combatant1	Continental Army
	combatant2	Hessian Army
	place	Trenton , New Jersey
	result	Decisive American victory
	commander1	George Washington
	commander2	Johan Rall
	strength1	2,400
	strength2	1,400
	casualties1	4 wounded {+ 2 frozen to death}
	casualties2	22 dead, 92 wounded<br>913 captured

''This article is about the Battle of Trenton which took place on December 26 , 1776 . For the Battle of Trenton which took place on January 2 , 1777 , see Second Battle Of Trenton .''

The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26 , 1776 during the American Revolutionary War after Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River . General George Washington led the main Continental Army Across The Delaware to surprise and virtually eliminate the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey . This overwhelming victory helped to preserve the Continental Army and set the stage for the Battle Of Princeton the following week..

Trenton was garrisoned by three regiments of Hessian 's division from the north, and Major General John Sullivan 's division from the west. A third division never made it across the river due to the weather, but was supposed to attack from the south.

The common assertion that the Hessians were inebriated or otherwise unprepared for battle due to Christmastime celebrations is untrue. Instead, the American victory was in large part due to the intelligence-gathering and spreading of misinformation by John Honeyman , a spy enlisted by Washington. He was responsible not only for assessing the strength of the Hessian defenders, but also for convincing them that the Americans were demoralized and in no condition to attack. Additionally, the weather, though proving somewhat of an obstacle for the crossing of the Delaware, served to make the surprise of the attack complete. This lead to miscommunication amongst the defenders, as Colonel Rall believed that he was surrounded two hours before he actually was. The final factor that seems to have been most responsible for the completeness of their defeat was the defending troops' perception that the Americans would not stand up to a concerted attack.

The troops left camp at 2:00 PM on Christmas Day. The river crossing was to be completed by midnight, but the storm which broke at 11:00 PM delayed this completion until 3:00 AM. The predawn attack was therefore delayed due to the weather and the fighting began around 8:00 AM, with the storm still raging. By 9:30 the Patriots had won.

The American forces had only a handful of wounded, although two men froze to death on the march and more the next night, while the Hessians suffered 114 casualties with at least 22 dead and 896 captured. Colonel Rall was mortally wounded and died the same day. Ironically, when Rall was warned that the patriots might attack, he replied, "Let them come. We need no Trench es. We will go at them with the Bayonet ." The Rall and von Lossberg regiments were effectively removed from the British forces. Parts of the von Knyphausen regiment escaped to the south, but Sullivan did capture some 200 men, along with the regiment's cannons and supplies.

By noon, Washington's force had recrossed the Delaware back into Pennsylvania , taking their prisoners and captured supplies with them. This battle gave the Continental Congress a new confidence in that it proved American forces could defeat regulars. It also increased the re-enlistments in the Continental Army forces.

An interesting note is that while only four Americans were wounded, all of these injuries occurred during the Americans' rush to capture Hessian artillery, to prevent the guns from being used. Two of these wounded were officers: Captain William Washington (the General's cousin), who was badly wounded in both hands, and young Lieutenant James Monroe , the future President Of The United States . Monroe was carried from the field bleeding badly after one of his arteries was severed by a musket ball. Doctor John Riker clamped the future President's artery, keeping him from bleeding to death.

The hours before the battle served as the inspiration for the famous painting '' Washington Crossing The Delaware .'' The image in the painting, in which Washington stands majestic in his boat as it is crossing the river, is more symbolic than historically accurate, as the waters of the river were icy and treacherous and the flag Monroe holds was not created until six months after the battle. The crossing also occurred before dawn. Many have doubted that Washington stood, but many scholars believe they all stood, albeit in a different type of boat. Nonetheless, the image has become an icon of American history.

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Battle Of Trenton