Battle Of Trenton Analysis

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Alyssa Bergdoll Dr. Dave McCarter History 201-005 April 9, 2013 The Battle of Trenton I’ve always enjoyed the painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware. The depiction of our first Commander and Chief, leading his army across the water on Christmas Eve to ambush the enemies that lay in camp, is one of the greatest representations of military leadership in our nation’s history. It has been an inspiring piece of art, but not very many people understand the full story of what actually occurred on that dreadful night. It is my goal by the end of this paper to make a clear understanding of The Battle of Trenton and why it was successful. The painting itself has a lot of history and was completed in 1851 by a German-American artist…show more content…
Let’s take a look at some events that led up to this battle. Washington’s army had dwindled to some three thousand men; they had just escaped the pursuit of General Lord Cornwallis who had been victorious over the earlier summer and fall months in capturing New York and defeating the American Army in a series of battles. (British Battles.com) All this lead up to December eighth when the British Army reached Trenton, Delaware just after Washington and his men had passed over into Pennsylvania. Washington faced several dilemmas while he was with his men in Pennsylvania. One problem was the harsh winter that continued to make his fighting force dwindle in the number of abled bodied men. Another was that many of the men’s enlistments in the Army were about to end, and many would be leaving at the end of December. Not only had all this happened, but just across the Delaware River the British General Howe with ten thousand soldiers quartered within the city. (The Battle of Trenton) Not only did Washington have to worry about the British troops nearby, but all the hired Hessian garrison of mercenaries who stood guard on the river, numbering around fifteen hundred men.(Stephenson 1) The situation looked bleak for not only Washington and his men, but for the rebellion as a whole. Hope for the rebellion began decreasing on a daily basis and support began to vanish. The last…show more content…
Once he had set foot on the other side he divided the men he had into three separate units. One unit commanded by John Sullivan who would march along the southern approach of Trenton via the River Road. The other two units commanded by Washington and Nathaniel Greene would march further inland and approach the town from the north. The timing of this attack was depending on its overall success. If Sullivan and his force arrived to the southern side of Trenton too soon they would be vulnerable to a Hessian attack, or if they arrived too late the Hessian could easily escape, it had to be perfect. (Richard
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