Relive Gen. Washington's 'glorious day'

[Photo: Richard Grant] A statue at the Washington Crossing Inn re-creates the painting Washington Crossing the Delaware.

By RICHARD GRANT
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 23, 2001

His ragtag army all but defeated, the American commander rallied his troops for one last, desperate gamble. Along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, history buffs can learn how it paid off.

Tradition has it that in 1776, George Washington ate Christmas dinner in this three-story tavern on the banks of the Delaware River, 42 miles upstream from Philadelphia. As Washington dined, 2,400 of his men assembled along the riverbank. They were a ragtag army, dressed like scarecrows and huddled in blankets against the cold and spitting snow.

Their password was terse and accurate: "Victory or death."

This night, Washington was to gamble his army on a desperate stroke: an all-or-nothing surprise attack on the enemy across the river in Trenton, N.J. What happened in the next 24 hours changed the world.

This week marks the 225th anniversary of the fateful event that shook the British Empire and saved a young nation. Today, the setting along the Delaware River is remarkably scenic and unchanged, and many of the historic structures have been preserved.

You can see the spot where Washington crossed the river, and you can enter the two ferry houses he used as temporary command posts.

Nearby, you can examine replicas of the boats he commandeered and march in the footsteps of his men on the old Continental road.

Or you can switch sides and tour the barracks where some of the enemy German mercenary soldiers -- called Hessians -- were quartered.

[Photo: Richard Grant]

Costumed guides give tours and musket-firing demonstrations at the Old Barracks in Trenton, N.J., inhabited by American troops after the battle.

The natural starting point is Pennsylvania's Washington Crossing Historic Park, 7 miles south of New Hope. A short film sets the stage.

The summer of 1776 began well for the American Colonists in their struggle for freedom from Great Britain. But then the empire struck back:

In August, the largest armada the world had ever seen arrived off Long Island with a British army of 30,000 troops. They quickly routed Washington's smaller force and drove the rebels south through New Jersey.

Marching in the retreat was journalist Thomas Paine, who summed up the situation, writing, "These are the times that try men's souls."

When Washington's demoralized army reached the Delaware, he seized all the boats and retreated across it, using the river as a temporary buffer. But it seemed that the end was only a matter of time.

Congress fled from Philadelphia and even Washington confessed, "The game is pretty near up."

Crossing the Delaware

After this summation in the film, the highlight of the museum is a digitally reproduced, full-size copy of Emanuel Leutze's 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. The original, 12- by 21-foot masterpiece hangs in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

The painting's depiction of a stern, determined Washington, standing at the prow of a boat, leading an invasion of landing craft into an ice-choked river, is an American icon. Reproductions can be purchased in the gift shop on everything from kitchen magnets to mouse pads.

But from the standpoint of accuracy, the painting has many mistakes. Most prominent is that Washington's crossing took place in darkness, with the commander wisely seated in the back of a boat. For another, the river depicted in the painting is the Rhine.

But you can see the real river and crossing point just outside the museum. The only building here at the time was McKonkey's Ferry Inn, but today there is a picturesque village lining a tree-rimmed dirt road.

Most of these buildings date from the early 1800s and are part of the historic park, offering a look at life in early America. You can tour McKonkey's Ferry Inn and see the dining room where Washington had Christmas dinner.

At the Boat House are four reproductions of the Durham boats that were used in the crossing. Built to carry iron ore, the pitch-black craft were 40 to 60 feet long and looked like long, thick canoes.

Washington's plan was to stop retreating and to go on the offensive, against a regiment of Hessians stationed in Trenton. The timing was crucial. An aide wrote:

"They make a great deal of Christmas in Germany, and no doubt the Hessians will drink a great deal of beer and have a dance. They will be sleepy tomorrow morning. Washington will set the tune for them about daybreak."

Retrace the route

[Photo: Richard Grant]

A steel bridge now spans the Delaware where Washington and his revolutionary forces crossed in 1776.

Fortunately, it is much easier to cross the river today. Leave your car on the Pennsylvania side and walk to New Jersey across a narrow steel bridge, built in 1933. There are pretty views of the river along the way, giving you time to think about the men who had been in the boats below.

As Paine had written, the "summer soldier and sunshine patriot" had long ago deserted this army. The men who were left were special. Among them was James Monroe, who would become the fourth U.S. president; Alexander Hamilton, who would become the first secretary of the Treasury; and John Marshall, who would become a chief justice of the United States.

On the other side of the river, you enter New Jersey's Washington Crossing State Park. In 1776, there were dueling ferries here; today there are dueling state parks.

Use the pedestrian overpass to walk to the Johnson Ferry House, which Washington's staff used as a command post. The pretty fieldstone house is furnished with Colonial items to interpret the ferry keeper's family residence. One of Washington's aides recorded the scene in his diary:

"Dec. 26, 3 a.m. I am writing in the ferry house. I (have) never seen Washington so determined as he is now. He stands on the bank of the river, wrapped in his cloak, superintending the landing of his troops. The storm is changing to sleet, and cuts like a knife. The last cannon is being landed, and we are ready to mount our horses."

You can follow in their footsteps on a short stretch of the old Continental lane, which today is a shallow grass depression between rows of trees that runs for a quarter-mile to the visitor center.

Many of Washington's men had no shoes as they marched down this road, and they wrapped rags around their feet. A Maj. Wilkinson remembered that the snow "was tinged here and there with blood from the feet of the men who wore broken shoes."

At the visitor center, there is an excellent museum with exhibits, maps, paintings and artifacts that trace the retreat through New Jersey and the coming battle. It is about a half-mile walk back to your car in Pennsylvania and then a 9-mile drive to Trenton.

The attack on Trenton

Not much of Colonial Trenton has survived. It is a modern and not particularly attractive city, but there are two stops connected to the battle that are worth a visit.

The Trenton Battle Monument marks the spot where the battle began. The 148-foot-high column opened in 1893 and has an elevator to an observation deck with panoramic views.

The Hessian commander, Johann Rall, ignored threats of an American attack and stayed up all Christmas night playing cards and drinking. In the gloomy morning, the Americans advanced to the edge of town before the Hessian guard saw them.

With cries of "the enemy" the guard tried to alert the troops. It was too late.

Washington placed his artillery at the head of Trenton's narrow streets. There, the cannons could fire canister, tins filled with musket balls that exploded from the cannon barrel as if from a giant shotgun. As the sleepy Hessians poured out of their barracks, they were cut down by this fire.

Rall ordered a retreat to an orchard, but Washington's men surrounded those remaining troops. When Rall was mortally wounded, the Germans surrendered.

At the other end of Trenton is the Old Barracks Museum. Built in 1758, the stone buildings had originally housed troops during the French and Indian War. When the Hessians came, they used the barracks for their camp followers, the women and wives who have tagged along behind every army since time began.

Today, the museum uses living history interpreters to depict the barracks after the battle, when they were inhabited by American troops. Costumed guides give musket-firing demonstrations -- children enjoy this -- and lead tours that show how hard life was in an 18th century army, where there were far more casualties from sickness and disease than from battle.

Trenton itself is a good example. The battle lasted less than an hour and was more one-sided than the Persian Gulf War:

Ninety Hessians were killed or wounded and more than 900 were taken prisoner; the American casualties were two men wounded.

After the fight, an uncharacteristically beaming Washington rode up to Maj. Wilkinson, grabbed his hand and said, "This is a glorious day for our country."

And it was. From a military standpoint, Trenton was a minor raid; there were still five long years of war ahead. But psychologically, it was a turning point. Never again would American spirits or prospects sink so low.

- Denver resident Richard Grant's hobby is military history.

If you go

GETTING THERE: The sites are about 9 miles from Trenton, 42 miles from Philadelphia. There is air service to both cities from the Tampa Bay area.

Washington Crossing Historic Park, Washington Crossing, Pa. On Route 32, 7 miles south of New Hope. The park is free to explore, but there are small fees for tours of nine buildings, including McKonkey's Ferry Inn.

Monuments indicate the spots where the troops crossed the Delaware, and there are stunning views of the river.

Admission includes a tour of the Thompson-Neely House, which dates to 1702 and was used as a field hospital and staff headquarters before the attack. Also included in admission is an elevator ride up the 110-foot Bowman's Hill Tower, which offers panoramic views of the Delaware River Valley.

Admission for adults, $4; children, $2. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call (215) 493-4076; the Web site is www.spiritof76.net.

Washington Crossing Inn, Washington Crossing, Pa. Across the street from the park, this historic inn is a wonderful place for a lunch stop, especially Sunday brunch. Part of the building dates to 1817. It is decorated throughout with fireplaces, paintings of Washington and mementos from the battle.

Reservations recommended. (215) 493-3634. Open daily except Monday.

Washington Crossing State Park, New Jersey. The park is free and is primarily a 991-acre natural area. Of historic interest are tours of the Johnson Ferry House and historic markers along the riverbank.

The museum in the visitor center has the best overview of the retreat, the crossing and the battle. The museum also houses the Swan Historical Foundation Collection of 600 artifacts from the Revolutionary War, including military items used by both sides. The museum and the ferry house are open Wednesday through Sunday; (609) 737-9303.

Trenton Battle Monument, intersection of Broad Street (Route 206) and Pennington Road (Route 31), Trenton. Free elevator ride to the top of the 148-foot-high column, which is decorated with statues of Washington and his troops. The view from the top is worth the effort of finding the monument.

Open 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Old Barracks Museum, Barrack Street, Trenton. Best for children, the museum emphasizes what camp life was like in the American Revolution. Kids are "enlisted" in the army and given some 18th century drill instructions and a medical exam to make sure they have front teeth -- a requirement in 1776, when soldiers had to rip open musket cartridges with their teeth.

Adults, $6; children, $3. (609) 396-1776; www.barracks.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: The most readable, factual account is The Crossing, by Howard Fast. There is also a video version of this with actor Jeff Daniels as Washington.

Ten crucial days

Enraged by their defeat at Trenton, the British sent Gen. Cornwallis and 8,000 troops south to finish the rebels once and for all.

Washington had by now reoccupied Trenton, and as the British advanced, a second battle was fought to a stalemate. Cornwallis' officers urged him to launch a night attack, but he declined, saying, "We'll bag the fox in the morning."

That night, Washington escaped by marching his forces north around the British troops. He destroyed two English regiments at the Battle of Princeton and settled into a strong winter camp at Morrison.

In 10 days, Washington fought three battles and recaptured half of New Jersey.

The 225th anniversary of this remarkable campaign will be celebrated Saturday and Sunday , with the largest re-enactment ever staged for these events. More than 1,000 re-enactors will re-create the battles, marches and crossings on the actual streets, fields and rivers where they took place.

In addition to these events, there will be a series of special lectures and exhibits. For information and schedules for the re-enactments, visit the Web site www.tencrucialdays.com or call (609) 777-1770.

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