Washington crosses Delaware

On the night of December 25 to 26, 1776, George Washington led the Continental Army across the icy Delaware River from Pennsylvania into New Jersey. Washington's force marched to Trenton and attacked Hessian troops under Colonel Johann Rall on the morning of December 26, 1776. The crossing converted a desperate winter retreat into one of the most famous offensive strokes of the Revolution.

The Delaware crossing intensified a military crisis that threatened the very survival of the Continental Army after the defeats around New York. Enlistments were expiring, morale was collapsing, and British commanders expected the rebellion to fade once Washington's army disintegrated. By gambling on a winter attack, Washington aimed to prove that the Revolution still possessed an army capable of sudden offensive action.

The success at Trenton after the crossing led directly to the Princeton campaign on January 3, 1777 and revived enlistments across the army. The operation also restored political confidence in Congress and gave the American cause a badly needed victory at the end of 1776.