1776

Washington’s men retreated a mere five miles away in a muddy downpour. The men wore rags, and few had shoes.

Perhaps because of the recent defeats and failed campaigns, Washington now had many enemies, including General Lee. Washington dictated a letter giving Lee orders and dispatched it through Joseph Reed, who wrote another letter to Lee of his own. Reed clearly flattered Lee and told him what he wished to hear—that Lee himself should be commanding the army. He urged Lee to approach the Continental Congress to ask for a change in leadership.

As the new year approached, Washington worried about his war-weary soldiers. Their commissions were about to expire, and the officers feared they would lose the better part of the army. Washington’s fears were not unfounded. By the end of August, he had only 3,500 troops. Given the rampant sickness and general weariness of battle, Washington not could get the 13 colonies to send militias. The governors also wanted their fighters at home to protect themselves, as they were not impressed with the progress of the war. Washington dispatched two of his closest men to Pennsylvania and New Jersey to appeal for militiamen, but they were refused.

Among the British, Admiral Howe and General Clinton were at odds concerning strategy. Howe wanted to continue pursuing the Americans because the army was so ragged and there were so many defectors. He wanted to wipe out the colonists by overrunning Rhode Island and New Jersey, where many loyalists resided, making it easy to clear the remains of Washington’s forces. Because Clinton criticized Howe, Howe replaced him with Charles Cornwallis.

Cornwallis was of the British upper crust. Educated at Eton, a prestigious private school, he distinguished himself in his military career and seemed to genuinely love his men. Disciplined, he led a sober life and was always concerned for his wife. He was the perfect replacement for Clinton. Cornwallis’s orders were to pursue the rebels to Brunswick and then to stop 50 miles south of Newark. The wet, muddy roads made the trip very difficult.

When Cornwallis’s troops finally arrived, they found no army and no Washington. They had moved on to Brunswick and Raritan. On November 9, Washington received new troops, a small hope. However, they too were ragged and unshod. They accompanied Lord Stirling.

But Washington’s men were not the only ones to defect. Two of his most important officers and close friends passed a letter that Washington innocently intercepted in which the two expressed their disapproval of the general. During this time the Continental Congress was largely absent from Philadelphia for mostly personal reasons like illness, except for Franklin, who was on a diplomatic mission in France.

On December 1, only about 2,000 American troops were left, and the British and Hessians were within two hours. Washington sent desperate word to General Lee and the Continental Congress, requesting reinforcements right away. Though Washington ordered the bridge over the Raritan at Brunswick to be destroyed, the enemy could still wade across. Washington took a desperate measure—to retreat to the Delaware River.

The Continental Congress and all of Philadelphia knew just how close they were to the battle scenes and began to evacuate. General Lee still remained absent.

Sir William and Lord Howe again proffered a letter to the colonists in the name of King George. Unconditional surrender would yield immediate, generous, free forgiveness from the crown. Within the 60 days allotted, thousands from New Jersey fled to the British for pardon and safety. New Jersey did not escape plunder and pillaging, however. Hundreds of women were raped, some in front of their husbands.

To the rebels’ surprise, Cornwallis rested his men for six days rather than pursue them. The story went that the men were exhausted, but others presumed that Lord Howe did not want to catch the soldiers just yet.

Washington decided to retreat across the Delaware after the men burned all the boats they could not bring. On December 10, word came that Lee was on the march with 4,000 troops, giving everyone a smattering of hope, but this hope was dashed when Lee was captured while lounging in his bedclothes and writing a letter complaining about Washington. On the same day, Congress removed themselves to Baltimore for fear of their lives.

Washington did not know of Howe’s decision to take a break for the winter, which almost completely shut British operations down. Howe opted to rest because generals of the time typically did not fight during intrepid weather unless they absolutely had to. At this point one side of the river consisted of Washington’s scraggly band of troops waiting for a fight, while a group of Hessian soldiers “hibernated” for the winter on the other. When all the troops arrived, Washington estimated he had only about 6,000 who could actually fight. Colonists continued to desert to the British. Defeat seemed almost inevitable. On December 21, Washington and Robert Morris had the excellent notion to strike out across the Delaware.

On December 24, Washington split his men into three forces: one that would cross downstream at Bristol, one that would move directly across the river at Trenton, and a third led by Washington, Green, Lord Stirling, and Sullivan that would cross nine miles upstream at McKonkey’s Ferry. Of the three groups, only one advanced. The others had to retreat. Two men froze to death.

The Hessians were led by Captain Johann Gottlieb Rall, who was known for his love of military march music, playing cards, and reputed drinking. That night he received two messages from loyalists warning him of Washington’s attack, yet they went unheeded. He was certain there was nothing to worry about.

The battle began at 8:00 p.m. Despite the cold, the wet, and their exhaustion, Washington’s soldiers fought valiantly. Rall was shot and killed, and the Hessians fell back and then surrendered. It was a major victory with few causalities on the American side. Twenty-one Hessians were killed, with 90 wounded—and 900 prisoners taken. Only four Americans were wounded, and none were killed in battle.

By December 30, Washington knew the situation was dire and therefore offered an unauthorized bounty to his remaining troops: an additional $10 for all who stayed six months beyond their commission. The Continental Congress, seeing Washington’s strength and ability, gave him almost absolute power when it came to war decision-making. Washington gave a famous speech saying that though the sword was the last resort for preserving freedom, it should be the first thing to be put down.

Escaping from Cornwallis in the dead of night, Washington prepared to attack him from the rear. At sunrise, they attacked. Finally, the war had turned as Cornwallis was soundly defeated, but not without the death of principal Continental officers, including Colonel Haslet and General Mercer. The British losses were worse, however, with 300 soldiers taken prisoner.

By this point Washington was almost deified in the Americans’ eyes. His men, whom the British and even Washington himself had considered rabble untutored in warfare, were given new respect as a force to be reckoned with.

Battles in New Jersey continued. The war did not completely end until 1783, after six-and-a-half years. Victory was attributed to the men who fought without training and to Washington, who also lacked formal training or higher education. He learned from experience and had the heart necessary to lead men in a fight for what he considered a just cause.