Key Facts
- Date of crossing
- Night of December 25–26, 1776
- River crossed
- Delaware River, icy and hazardous
- Enemy commander defeated
- Johann Rall (Hessian forces at Trenton)
- Crossings made
- 3 total by Washington's army in late 1776–early 1777
- Follow-up victories
- Battle of Trenton (Dec 26) and Princeton (Jan 3, 1777)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Washington led his column from Bucks County, Pennsylvania across the icy Delaware on the night of December 25–26, 1776, a logistically difficult and dangerous crossing. Other planned supporting crossings failed, yet Washington pressed on. His forces surprised and overwhelmed the Hessian garrison at Trenton on the morning of December 26. The army then crossed back to Pennsylvania with prisoners and captured stores, before crossing a third time to defeat British reinforcements at Trenton on January 2, 1777.
01 / The Origins
By late 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington had suffered a string of defeats and desertions, leaving American independence in serious jeopardy. British and Hessian forces held New Jersey, and morale was dangerously low. Washington devised a bold surprise operation: cross the Delaware River under cover of darkness on Christmas night to strike Hessian troops encamped at Trenton before they could organize a defense, hoping a decisive blow would reinvigorate the revolutionary cause.
03 / The Outcome
Following the second Battle of Trenton, Washington's forces defeated the British rear guard at Princeton on January 3, 1777, then withdrew to winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey. The rapid sequence of victories restored confidence in the Continental Army and encouraged enlistments. The operation is remembered as a turning point in the Revolutionary War, and both Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania and Washington Crossing, New Jersey are named in its honor.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
George Washington.
Side B
1 belligerent
Johann Rall, Lord Cornwallis.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.