When did the Battle of Trenton break out? The course of the battle of Trenton

The Battle of Trenton broke out on 1776,126 February. After George Washington forced the Delaware River to Trenton, it was an American War of Independence. In bad weather, the main force of the continental army met Hessian mercenaries stationed in Trenton after crossing the river dangerously in Washington. After a brief exchange of fire, the Hessian mercenaries were captured almost entirely, while the US military suffered almost no losses. The battle boosted the morale of the Continental Army and encouraged more people to rejoin the army.

Activity flow

The Continental Army suffered several failures in new york and was forced to withdraw from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. The morale of the army is low; In order to save the soldiers as much as possible and spend the end of the year in an optimistic situation, George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, plans to cross the Delaware River on Christmas Eve and surround the Hessian garrison.

Because the river is very cold, it is dangerous to cross it. Because two attack groups could not cross the river, Washington had to attack with 2400 people. The army went south 9 miles (14 km) to Trenton. When the Hessian mercenaries found the American troops approaching, they set up a defense line and began an organized retreat. However, when the Hessian mercenaries were driven back to the city, American artillery penetrated their defense lines and the resistance collapsed. 1500 of the defenders, except for a few who escaped from Ascenpinker Creek, more than two thirds were captured.

Washington lost new york, but gained the initiative to attack the enemy flexibly in the movement. In the process of retreating to New Jersey, Washington keenly found that the British troops scattered all over New Jersey were hiding in winter barracks, isolated and scattered, far away from the main force, which provided them with a good opportunity to destroy the enemy. 1776 12.25 In the snowstorm on Christmas Eve, with the help of fishermen in mably Head, Washington led 2,400 people across the Delaware River, which is located 9 miles north of Trenton. The next morning, Washington divided the troops into two columns, north and south, and headed straight for Hessian mercenary barracks in Trenton. In close combat, the defenders were either killed or captured in their dreams. The surprise attack in Washington was a complete victory. Of the 65,438+0,400 mercenaries, nearly 65,438+0,000 were captured, and 30 mercenaries, including their commander Colonel John Lall, were killed. In addition, a large number of trophies, including light weapons, artillery and other ammunition, were seized. Only two Americans froze to death and five were injured. One of the injured was james monroe, who later became the fifth president of the United States. As a direct response to the total annihilation of Trenton's defenders, Lord Cornwallis immediately led 8,000 British troops south to Princeton to pursue the Washington army. 1777 65438+1On October 2nd, Cornwallis led more than 5,000 people to Trenton to confront the US military, leaving more than 2,500 British troops on standby in Princeton, 0/2 miles away. In the face of the heavily armed British group, Washington sneaked eastward behind Cornwallis through an abandoned road in the dark, and suddenly appeared in front of the "red shirts" in Princeton the next morning, launching a fierce attack and taking the British by surprise. Washington has won another victory and seized a lot of military supplies. When the angry Cornwallis arrived from Trenton, Washington had already evacuated to Morris City. In the short time of 10 days, Washington has won two quick victories in succession. Although it failed to fundamentally change the war situation, it revived the American revolutionary war in the low tide and greatly inspired the revolutionary enthusiasm of the North American people. The battle not only eased the threat to Philadelphia, but also forced the British army to withdraw from the midwest of New Jersey. Frederick the great thought this battle was one of the greatest battles in military history.

Battle details

prewar period

Before the Battle of Trenton broke out, the Continental Army led by George Washington had been defeated in Boston, new york and Long Island. The defeat in new york forced Washington to retreat from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. At that time, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia had decided to move the temporary capital south to Baltimore, Maryland, to prevent the British from encirclement and suppression. The continental army in Washington suffered heavy losses, leaving only 2400 people. The morale of the army was low, and General Gates, a subordinate of Washington, even told Washington directly that it was time to give up the revolution, which made Washington very angry. It is near the end of this year. In order to boost morale, Washington must win a battle before the new year, otherwise the war of independence is likely to be a complete failure. So on the eve of Christmas 1776, Washington decided to attack Trenton, one to boost morale, and the other to cut off the connection between British troops in Princeton and New Brunswick and prepare for retaking New Jersey.

Crossing the Delaware River at night

To attack Trenton, you must cross the Delaware River from west to east, which is the boundary between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Due to the low temperature in winter, the Delaware River can't be forced to cross directly, so Washington is looking for a ferry in the upper reaches alone. Finally, he found a small ferry named Maconchy Ferry 9 miles from Trenton. The owner of the ferry was very willing to help Washington, but he also suggested that Washington wait until next spring, otherwise it would be very dangerous. Washington thought that Christmas Eve on February 25th, 65438 was a good time to cross the river, because the enemy on the other side would celebrate Christmas unprepared, so he decided not to listen to the hint of the ferry owner. After the decision, he wrote "victory or death" in his diary to show his determination. 1776 65438+On February 25th, under the cover of darkness, john glover commanded Washington to ferry 2,400 people to the east bank of the Delaware River overnight with several boats on the ferry. Because of the bad weather, everyone didn't finish crossing the river until three o'clock in the morning. Colonel John Haslet even fell into the river and almost drowned. At this point, Trenton's defenders did not realize it.

The army is divided into two columns, each taking a different route.

After crossing the river, at four o'clock in the morning, Washington began to March south. Some villagers volunteered to act as guides on the road. When they crossed Jacob Creek, they encountered some difficulties, but they were quickly solved. After traveling about four miles, Washington divided the army into two parts. He personally led one team to the northwest of Trenton, while his subordinate General john sullivan led another team to bypass the Germans in the south. Before leaving, Suriva told Washington that the soldiers' guns were likely to have problems because of the cold and humid weather. Washington replied that long knives were used when guns were not allowed. The two armies agreed to attack at eight in the morning.

Raid Trenton

Trenton's defenders are about 1500 German Hessian mercenaries fighting for the British army, and the general is Colonel John Lal. These people are well-trained German professional soldiers, mostly from Hesse, Germany, with strong combat effectiveness. They are mainly stationed in the southwest of Trenton, between the southern edge of the city and the Delaware River. But the war tradition at that time was that there would be no fighting during the deep winter festival, especially around Christmas and New Year, so these Hessian mercenaries all drank and reveled in the barracks and then fell asleep. The defense line is empty, there are no sentries, and the artillery is not prepared. At dawn, Washington arrived at Benjamin Moore's estate and was treated by Moore. At about 7 a.m., people in Washington leveled a Hessian mercenary post north of Trenton. At eight o'clock in the morning, Washington raided Trenton from the north. He went down the middle road himself, and his generals henry knox and Nathaniel Green were in charge of the left wing and the right wing respectively. At the same time, General Suriva also launched an attack on the southern line.

The Hessian army was defeated.

At this point, the Hessian mercenaries have not yet reacted. Many people were killed by bayonets and cannons, and others fled wildly and retreated to Trenton. Colonel John Lowell, who just woke up, didn't believe there was an enemy attack. He meticulously put on his military uniform before he appeared among the soldiers today, but by this time, the North Road Army in Washington had advanced more than half of Trenton. Lore felt something was wrong and immediately organized the rest of the soldiers to line up to resist, but his men failed to assemble artillery. The Hessian army retreated while fighting, but these professional soldiers quickly stabilized their positions. At this time, General Suriva from the southern line arrived and attacked the Hessian army from behind. On the other side of the Delaware River, General James Ewing led 1 0,000 additional Continental soldiers to occupy the ferry outside Trenton and the bridge on the Ascenpink River, cutting off the Hessian army's retreat and inspiring the morale of the Continental Army. Soon, the battlefield situation became a foregone conclusion. John Rahl was shot in the melee and the Hessian army was defeated. /kloc-more than 0/500 Hessian troops surrendered. In addition to about 25 people who died in battle, 1000 people fled across the Assange River. The continental army in Washington only paid the price of two deaths and five escapes. Less than an hour later, john law was also seriously injured and died. Washington sent someone to send Lor's sword to the Continental Congress.