CHAPTER XVII TRENTON AND THE TURN OF THE TIDE "Advance and Charge!" As the army, excepting the recruits recently obtained for a short term, would practically disband at the end of the month, Washington determined to do something to encourage the country and the recruiting service, so he planned the capture of three regiments of Hessians at Trenton. A concerted movement of his troops failed, as such movements usually do. The detachment which he himself accompanied marched, on Christmas afternoon, nine miles up the west bank of the Delaware, through the snow, to a ferry where they consumed most of the night in crossing, the wind being high and the river full of ice. An officer, sent by Gates from Philadelphia with a letter to Washington, tracked the little force by the blood dropped from the feet of badly shod men; so, taking one consideration with another, the army celebrated Christmas in a manner truly unique. Delay at the ferry made an attack before daylight impossible, and a heavy storm of snow and sleet rendered the muskets so useless that Sullivan, in command of one of the two columns into which Washington had divided his own force, sent a messenger to ask what he should do. “Advance and charge!" said Washington, with considerable temper. A long march through sleet that beats in the face is never conducive to amiability; Washington and his men would have charged that morning even if armed only with broomsticks, and they would have conquered too. George Washington, John Habberton, p. 132. Colonel Rahl's Fatal Game Meanwhile, Washington had not been mistaken in supposing that the Hessians, unsuspicious of peril, would be spending the hours in a carousal. Many of the British light-horse were off on foraging or pillaging expeditions, and the Germans were making night hideous with their songs and shouts and drinking bouts. Colonel Rahl himself, the commander of the Hessians, was spending the night in the home of Abraham Hunt, a man who had dealings with both sides, and was true to neither. On this particular night, Hunt had invited Colonel Rahl and a few others to a "Christmas supper" at his house, and far into the night the unsuspecting officers continued their card-playing and drinking. Colonel Rahl was about to "deal," when his negro servant, against express orders, entered the room, and thrust a note into the Hessian's hand, explaining that the man who had brought it had first begged to be permitted to enter himself, but had been refused, and then he had written the note and declared that Colonel Rahl must have it immediately, as it was of highest importance. If the colonel had known that the note was a word brought by a Tory who had discovered the presence of the advancing American army, it is more than likely that the history of the Revolution would have been far different from what it was. However, Colonel Rahl did not stop his game, but thrust the note unread into his pocket, and so never knew of Washington's approach until it was too late to act. Many of the greatest events in history have turned upon a pivot no larger than the negligence of the Hessian colonel. Meanwhile, the little American force was steadily approaching in two divisions; one led by Sullivan along the lower road, and the other led by Greene on the upper road. With their bayonets the Americans drove back the startled outposts, and in a brief time the cannon had been so planted that the streets could be swept. Colonel Rahl, who at last had realized the peril, and rushed forth from Hunt's house to rally his men, together with sixteen others, had been shot; and almost a thousand of the hired Hessians were speedily prisoners in the hands of the victorious Americans. A Short History of the American Revolution, Everett Tomlinson, p. 141. "A Smiling Expression on His Countenance" Although Rahl, the Hessian commander, had learned of the proposed attack, the surprise was complete. Washington rode at the head of the column which approached from the north; in his advance guard was Lieutenant, afterward President, James Monroe, an eighteen-year-old Virginia boy, who grew a great deal that morning. Sullivan following the river, struck the town on its western side, and sent part of his men to the southern end. All the outposts were struck at once, and the helplessness of the foreign soldier when in the face of the unexpected, was immediately manifested, for some of the hungry, tired, ragged Americans suddenly saw about five hundred of the enemy, among them a troop of the terrible British cavalry, actually running away! Rahl, the Hessian commander, although at first inclined to run, rallied most of the troops in the town and showed fight, till he received a mortal wound. Then his troops suddenly imagined that they had business in Princeton; but finding Hind's riflemen, now veterans, in their way, they changed their minds and threw down their colors. When Washington's attention was called to this fact, he was so astonished that he started alone to see; as he was followed by his entire column, the Hessians grounded their arms also, and the amazed Washington discovered that his first independent engagement had yielded him a thousand prisoners! To one of those prisoners the world owes the information concerning Washington, that "His eyes have scarce any fire," which is not strange for eyes that had just gone sleepless for a night and been blinded by sleet for hours afterward. "There is, however, a smiling expression on his countenance when he speaks, that wins affection and respect," says the honest Dutchman. The fact that Washington could smile, is one that the reader can not keep too prominently in mind, if he would regard the Father of his Country as a living man instead of a historic mummy. George Washington, John Habberton, p. 133. "SIR, Washington's Report of the Battle of Trenton "(Letter to the President of Congress.) "Head-Quarters, Newtown, "I have the pleasure of congratulating you upon the success of an enterprise, which I had formed against a detachment of the enemy lying in Trenton, and which was executed yesterday morning. The evening of the 25th I ordered the troops intended for this service to parade back of McKonkey's Ferry, that they might begin to pass as soon as it grew dark, imagining we should be able to throw them all over, with the necessary artillery, by twelve o'clock, and that we might easily arrive at Trenton by five in the morning, the distance being about nine miles. But the quantity of ice, made that night, impeded the passage of the boats so much, that it was three o'clock before the artillery could all be got over; and near four, before the troops took up their line of march. This made me despair of surprising the town, as I well knew we could not reach it before the day was fairly broke. But as I was certain there was no making a retreat without being discovered and harassed on repassing the river, I determined to push on at all events. I formed my detachment into two divisions, one to march by the lower or river road, the other by the upper or Pennington road. As the divisons had nearly the same distance to march, I ordered each of them, imme diately upon forcing the outguards, to push directly into the town, that they might charge the enemy before they had time to form. "The upper division arrived at the enemy's advanced posts exactly at eight o'clock; and in three minutes after, I found, from the fire on the lower road, that the other division had also got up. The outguards made but small opposition, though for their numbers, they behaved very well, keeping up a constant retreating fire from behind houses. We presently saw their main body formed; but, from their motions, they seemed undetermined how to act. Being hard pressed by our troops, who had already got possession of their artillery, they attempted to file off by a road on their right, leading to Princeton. But, perceiving their intention, I threw a body of troops in their way, which immediately checked them. Finding from our disposition that they were surrounded, and that they must inevitably be cut to pieces if they made any further resistance, they agreed to lay down their arms. The number that submitted in this manner was twenty-three officers and eight hundred and eighty-six men. Colonel Rahl, the commanding officer, and seven others were found wounded in the town. I do not exactly know how many were killed, but I fancy not above twenty or thirty, as they never made any regular stand. Our loss is very trifling indeed, only two officers and one or two privates wounded. "I am fully confident, that, could the troops under Generals Ewing and Cadwalader have passed the river, I Ishould have been able with their assistance to drive the enemy from all their posts below Trenton. But the numbers I had with me being inferior to theirs below me, and a strong battalion of light infantry being at Princeton above me, I thought it most prudent to return the same evening with the prisoners and the artillery we had taken. found no stores of any consequence in the town. We "In justice to the officers and men, I must add, that VOL. I-22 |