Battle of Second Trenton

With the Continental Army threatening to dissolve around him, General George Washington led the remnants of his army across the icy Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 towards a Hessian garrison at Trenton. The subsequent victories at the Battles of Second Trenton and Princeton secured General Washington's place in history.

Despite their success in repulsing several frontal attacks at the Battle of Second Trenton on January 2, 1777, Washington and his senior officers were filled with a sense of dread. General Charles Cornwallis’ British army of 8,000 veteran soldiers were poised to deliver a punishing blow the following morning. That the British had discovered a ford that led to the vulnerable American right flank made the American position on the Assunpink Creek near Trenton all the more dangerous.

Rather than risk defeat in Trenton, Washington, in collaboration with his senior officers, agreed upon a bold and dangerous plan. That very night the Continental Army quietly left its positions along the creek and marched east and then turned north towards Princeton. With deceptive campfires still burning along the creek, Washington’s intrepid soldiers began their 18-mile march through the dark and bitterly cold night. By marching undetected, Washington retained the all-important initiative and avoided any movement that suggested retreat. Washington’s successful night march on January 2 and 3, 1777 is remembered as one of the great flank marches in American history.