Washington was fighting to set this country free. But the army that the
King of England sent to fight him was stronger than Washington’s army.
Washington was beaten and driven out of Brook-lyn. Then he had to leave
New York. After that, he marched away into New Jersey to save his army
from being taken. At last he crossed the Del-a-ware River. Here he was
safe for a while.
Some of the Hes-sian soldiers that the king had hired to fight against
the Americans came to Trenton. Trenton is on the Del-a-ware River.
Washington and his men were on the other side of the Del-a-ware River
from the Hes-sians. Washington’s men were dis-cour-aged. They had been
driven back all the way from Brook-lyn. It was winter, and they had no
warm houses to stay in. They had not even warm clothes. They were
dressed in old clothes that people had given them. Some of them were
bare-footed in this cold weather.
The Hes-sians and other soldiers of the king were waiting for the river
to freeze over. Then they would march across on the ice. They meant to
fight Washington once more, and break up his army. But Washington was
thinking about something too.
He was waiting for Christmas. He knew that the Hessian soldiers on the
other side of the river would eat and drink a great deal on Christmas
Day.
[Illustration: Marching to Trenton.]
The afternoon of Christmas came. The Hessians were singing and drinking
in Trenton. But Washington was marching up the river bank. Some of his
bare-foot men left blood marks on the snow as they marched.
The men and cannons were put into flat boats. These boats were pushed
across the river with poles. There were many great pieces of ice in the
river. But all night long the flat boats were pushed across and then
back again for more men. It was three o’clock on the morning after
Christmas when the last Americans crossed the river. It was hailing and
snowing, and it was very cold. Two or three of the soldiers were frozen
to death.
It was eight o’clock in the morning when Washington got to Trenton. The
Hessians were sleeping soundly. The sound of the American drums waked
them. They jumped out of their beds. They ran into the streets. They
tried to fight the Americans.
But it was too late. Washington had already taken their cannons. His
men were firing these at the Hessians. The Hessians ran into the fields
to get away. But the Americans caught them.
The battle was soon over. Washington had taken nine hundred prisoners.
This was called the battle of Trenton. It gave great joy to all the
Americans. It was Washington’s Christmas gift to the country.