American Bad Ass

Sometimes you forget. Punks today don't even know. Respect. Washington's image gets distorted in grade school with the watered-down, chopping down cherry trees and never telling a lie , version of the man pushed on our children. But make no mistake. George Washington was a warrior. A 6' 3, fist-fighting bad ass who would cut your throat in your sleep if you stood between his people and liberty.

December 1776 was a desperate time for George Washington and the American Revolution. The ragtag Continental Army was encamped along the Pennsylvania shore of the Delaware River exhausted, demoralized and uncertain of its future.

The troubles had begun the previous August when British and Hessian troops invaded Long Island routing the colonial forces, forcing a desperate escape to the island of Manhattan. The British followed up their victory with an attack on Manhattan that compelled the Americans to again retreat, this time across the Hudson River to New Jersey.

The British followed in hot pursuit, chasing the Americans through New Jersey and by December had forced the Continental Army to abandon the state and cross the Delaware into Pennsylvania. With New Jersey in their firm control and Rhode Island successfully occupied, the British were confident that the Revolution had been crushed. The Continental Army appeared to be merely an annoyance soon to be swatted into oblivion like a bothersome bee at a picnic.

To compound Washington's problems, the enlistments of the majority of the militias under his command were due to expire at the end of the month and the troops return to their homes. Washington had to do something and quickly.

His decision was to attack the British. The target was the Hessian-held town of Trenton just across the Delaware River.


Before Washington and his troops left, Benjamin Rush had come in an attempt to cheer up the General. While he was there, he saw a note Washington had written, which said "Victory or Death". Those words would be the password for the surprise attack. Each soldier carried 60 rounds of ammunition, and three days of rations. When the army arrived at the shores of the Delaware, they were already behind schedule and clouds began to form above them. It began to rain, then it hailed, and then it snowed. Nevertheless, the Americans began to cross the river, of which Henry Knox had overall command. The men went across in Durham boats, while the horses and artillery went across on large ferries. The 14th Continental Regiment of John Glover manned the boats. During the crossing, several men fell overboard, including Colonel John Haslet. Haslet was quickly pulled out of the water. No one died during the crossing, and all the artillery pieces made it over in good condition.

Two small detachments of infantry, of about 40 men, each were ordered ahead of main columns. Their job was to set roadblocks ahead of the main army, and take prisoner whoever came in to or left the town. One of the groups was sent north of Trenton, and the other was sent to block River Road, which ran along the Delaware River to Trenton.

The terrible weather conditions delayed the landing in New Jersey, which were supposed to be completed by 12:00 am until 3:00 am, and Washington realized it would be impossible to launch a pre-dawn attack. Another setback also occurred for the Americans, as both General Cadwalader and Ewing were unable to join in the attack due to the weather conditions.

At 4:00 am, they began to march towards Trenton. Along the way, several civilians joined as volunteers, and led as guides because of their knowledge of the terrain. After marching 1.5 miles (2 km) through windy roads into the wind, they reached Bear Tavern where they turned right. The ground was slippery, but it was level, making it easier for the horses and artillery and they made better time. They soon reached Jacob's Creek, where, after a difficult process, the Americans made it across. The two groups stayed together until they reached Birmingham, where they split apart. Soon after, they reached the house of Benjamin Moore, and the family offered food and drink to Washington. At this point, the first signs of daylight began to appear. Many of the troops did not have boots, so they were forced to wear rags around their feet. Some of the men's feet bled, turning the snow to a dark red. Two men died on the trip.

As they continued their march, Washington rode up and down their line, encouraging the men to continue on. While they were marching, General Sullivan had a courier tell Washington that the weather was making it difficult to fire. Washington responded, "Tell General Sullivan to use the bayonet. I am resolved to take Trenton."

Here's part 1 of a video series I'm going to share.