When the Continental Army returned to camp on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, soldiers were exhausted. They had marched and fought for two straight days through rain, snow, sleet, and hail. Washington knew that his army had far exceeded expectations at Trenton and that they faced many more challenges going forward. However, he also understood that doing nothing was even more dangerous. As a result, Washington shifted his focus to planning another engagement, at Princeton.
Higginbotham, Don. Boston: Northeastern University Press, Middlekauf, Robert. New York: Oxford University Press, After losing the Battle of Long Island to the British, they were chased until the British were satisfied that the American forces have lost. The main force under Washington was to enter Trenton from the Northwest. Sullivan was to march around town and attack from the South.
The remainder of the troops were supposed to occupy the Northeast. It was a cold dark night and the river was running with flowing ice. At about 11 pm a heavy snow and sleet storm broke. Washington's force did not reach the east bank until around 3 am. Washington's men then marched to Trenton. The Hessians attempted to form in the town but were under heavy artillery fire from the front and rear.
After his arrival upon the Pennsylvania shore of the Delaware River, Washington sent out an urgent plea for reinforcement. One of the first contingents of soldiers to respond to this request were roughly marines from the Philadelphia area. This force of marines had been recruited for duty aboard the various Continental warships now anchored near Philadelphia and were generally considered to be excellent fighters.
The marine officers had seen active duty against the British onboard various vessels and their men had been occupied in daily drill and frequent skirmishes with British forces operating in the area. During the fierce fighting the Regulars several of the marines were killed in battle, including Captain William Shippin.
These casualties were some of the first to be suffered by marines on any battlefield. After the American victory on the Clarke Farm, the final military actions of the Battle of Princeton shifted towards the town itself. From this stout building, the British intended to use firing positions to hold off the Americans until a relief party arrived. The Americans positioned cannon around the building and soon began firing on the building and its occupants. Legend has it that one of the American cannonballs decapitated the portrait of King George II hanging inside the building — a fearful omen that further spurred the British garrison to surrender.
Nassau Hall still stands at the center of Princeton University and one can still see upon its surface damage caused by the American fire. As for the portrait of King George? The original portrait was destroyed, but a different painting of King George II now hangs in the historic building opposite Peale's portrait of George Washington at Princeton.
The disastrous defeats in the New York Campaign and the precipitous retreat across the Delaware River had left the prospects for American independence in tatters.
Rather than retreat to winter quarters as most on both sides of the Delaware River expected, Washington chose to attack in the dead of winter. Not only were the British and the Loyalists discouraged, but his own soldiers found newfound confidence that they could beat the very best that the British could put into the field. Washington on canvas. The painting had been commissioned by the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania for its council chambers in Independence Hall, Philadelphia.
Each of these copies employs different sized canvases, updated uniforms, varied backgrounds, and other modifications. In the original painting, now a part of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts collection, Washington leans upon the barrel of a captured cannon while Hessian and British flags lie at his feet.
Learn More: Peale's portrait of Washington at Princeton. Lengel, Edward G. New York: Random House, Edwin N. At first the situation looked bleak. However, as soon as the colonial artillery fired, the Hessians appeared to be caught completely off guard.
They were exhausted after being continuously harassed by the American militia and were not expecting an attack the day after Christmas. Colonel Johann Rall rushed to rally his highly trained Hessian troops, but to no avail. They failed to establish an effective perimeter, leading to an extremely important victory for the Continental Army.
The Hessian garrison quickly surrendered, ending the battle in a pitiful state. The Continental Army also left Trenton in possession of a plethora of supplies, including swords, bayonets, muskets, and cannons. They performed admirably in the Battle of Trenton, but Washington knew the danger that resting for too long would entail.
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