Washington's CrossingOxford University Press, 2004 M02 12 - 517 pages Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, George Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men. A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined. Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events. We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning. |
Contents
1 | |
7 | |
The Regulars | 31 |
The Hessians | 51 |
The Plan of the Campaign | 66 |
The Fall of New York | 81 |
The Retreat | 115 |
The Crisis | 138 |
The Bridge | 290 |
Two Councils | 308 |
The Battle at Princeton | 324 |
Aftermath | 346 |
Conclusion | 363 |
Appendices | 380 |
Historiography | 425 |
Bibliography | 459 |
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Common terms and phrases
Ameri American army American Revolution American troops artillery Assunpink Creek attack Battalion Battle of Princeton Battles of Trenton bridge brigade British and Hessian British army Brunswick Cadwalader campaign Captain Charles Charles Willson Peale Colonel Rall command Congress Connecticut Continental army Cornwallis County Crossing the Delaware December Delaware River Diary Donop Dragoons Dwyer enemy Ewald Ferry fighting fire Foot force Friedrich George Washington German grenadiers guns Henry Henry Knox Hessian Highland History Howe’s Ibid Jägers James Jersey Johann Johann Ewald Joseph Journal killed leaders Lieutenant light infantry London Long Island Lossberg major Mawhood Memoirs Mercer miles military militia Monmouth Beach Nathanael Greene night o’clock ordered painting Papers Pennsylvania Philadelphia PMHB rebels Regiment reported retreat Revolutionary Road Rodney Samuel Sergeant Smith soldiers Stryker Sullivan Thomas town Trenton and Princeton Virginia vols Washington Crossing Whigs Wiederholdt Wilkinson William wounded wrote York