Dear Rebeca,
The Battle of Trenton had just occurred on December 26, 1776, yesterday. As you already know many of the patriot's fighting contracts for the continental army are expiring. General Washington feared that with most of the army getting ready to leave, they will not have enough fighters to battle in the rebellion. With the patriots already losing the war, Washington feared that the rebellion would soon fade. Washington knew that he had to achieve some sort of victory to gain America's support. So he planned an attack on German missionaries, called the Hessians. They are a paid German army, fighting for the British for money. The Patriots planned to do something that we don't do a lot, and this may surprise you, but for once we went on the offensive to catch the Hessians by surprise. I know, mind blown right, most of the other men were shocked too. We weren't entirely sure if this plan was going to work, with the ice cold weather and all. I even asked General Washington himself if he had a plan to get to the Hessian fort, and he said we would cross the Delaware River.
So that morning, December 26, 1776 the Patriots and I headed towards the Hessian fort. The troops had to cross the Delaware River in order to get to the fort, as General Washington said. The night before the raid was severely cold, and the river was icy. The crossing of the river proved to be dangerous, especially for the horses. Two of Washington's boats were unable to cross the river, leaving General Washington 2,400 men under his command for the assault. The remaining boats were able to manage passing the icy cold Delaware River, as we marched nine miles south to Trenton. The Hessians had lowered their guard, thinking they were safe from the American army, and had no long-distance outposts or patrols that night. General Washington's forces caught them off guard and, after a short but fierce resistance, most of the Hessians surrendered. After this victory, America gained the support of France and Spain, giving the rest of America hope and new fighters for the resistance against England. This victory surly is special and important, and had this not happened, America probably would have lost hope. But now we have more support, and we will surly win the Rebellion.
Sincerely,
Bob
The Battle of Trenton had just occurred on December 26, 1776, yesterday. As you already know many of the patriot's fighting contracts for the continental army are expiring. General Washington feared that with most of the army getting ready to leave, they will not have enough fighters to battle in the rebellion. With the patriots already losing the war, Washington feared that the rebellion would soon fade. Washington knew that he had to achieve some sort of victory to gain America's support. So he planned an attack on German missionaries, called the Hessians. They are a paid German army, fighting for the British for money. The Patriots planned to do something that we don't do a lot, and this may surprise you, but for once we went on the offensive to catch the Hessians by surprise. I know, mind blown right, most of the other men were shocked too. We weren't entirely sure if this plan was going to work, with the ice cold weather and all. I even asked General Washington himself if he had a plan to get to the Hessian fort, and he said we would cross the Delaware River.
So that morning, December 26, 1776 the Patriots and I headed towards the Hessian fort. The troops had to cross the Delaware River in order to get to the fort, as General Washington said. The night before the raid was severely cold, and the river was icy. The crossing of the river proved to be dangerous, especially for the horses. Two of Washington's boats were unable to cross the river, leaving General Washington 2,400 men under his command for the assault. The remaining boats were able to manage passing the icy cold Delaware River, as we marched nine miles south to Trenton. The Hessians had lowered their guard, thinking they were safe from the American army, and had no long-distance outposts or patrols that night. General Washington's forces caught them off guard and, after a short but fierce resistance, most of the Hessians surrendered. After this victory, America gained the support of France and Spain, giving the rest of America hope and new fighters for the resistance against England. This victory surly is special and important, and had this not happened, America probably would have lost hope. But now we have more support, and we will surly win the Rebellion.
Sincerely,
Bob
"Battles of Trenton and Princeton." History.com. A E Networks. Web. 1 Jan. 2009.