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The General, in a last-ditch maneuver to provide the army a victory on which to recruit, decided to attack the 1560-man [[Hessian (soldier)|Hessian force]] in Trenton, under the command of Colonel [[Johann Gottlieb Rahl]].  An attack was coordinated to surround the city of Trenton, crossing both north and south of the city, at daybreak on December 26, 1776, coordinating with a 600-man unit of New Jersey Militia intended to mount a [[diversion]] to distract the German force.  In a very risky move having the code name "Victory or Death," Washington began leading his men across the ice-filled Delaware River at five o'clock in the evening on [[Christmas]] Day. The crossing was extremely arduous, and not until 3:00 a.m. was the entire army across. A supporting force of Continentals and Pennsylvania militia, attempting to cross further downstream, could not make it because of the heavy ice, and the main body under Washington was compelled to attack alone.  

The General, in a last-ditch maneuver to provide the army a victory on which to recruit, decided to attack the 1560-man [[Hessian (soldier)|Hessian force]] in Trenton, under the command of Colonel [[Johann Gottlieb Rahl]].  An attack was coordinated to surround the city of Trenton, crossing both north and south of the city, at daybreak on December 26, 1776, coordinating with a 600-man unit of New Jersey Militia intended to mount a [[diversion]] to distract the German force.  In a very risky move having the code name "Victory or Death," Washington began leading his men across the ice-filled Delaware River at five o'clock in the evening on [[Christmas]] Day. The crossing was extremely arduous, and not until 3:00 a.m. was the entire army across. A supporting force of Continentals and Pennsylvania militia, attempting to cross further downstream, could not make it because of the heavy ice, and the main body under Washington was compelled to attack alone.  

After several hours of marching through a severe winter storm, Washington's troops arrived on the northwest outskirts of Trenton at about 7:30 a.m. and launched their attack. Though the storm had delayed the American march and forced them to attack in daylight, rather than the predawn darkness Washington had initially hoped for, it had also led the Hessian garrison to let its guard down, believing there could be no major action in such weather. Therefore, the American assault caught the enemy by surprise and won a huge victory, quickly capturing nearly a thousand enemy troops.  There were some casualties, including the wounding of future president [[James Monroe]], but few deaths on the American side.

After several hours of marching through a severe winter storm, Washington's troops arrived on the northwest outskirts of Trenton at about 7:30 a.m. and launched their attack. Though the storm had delayed the American march and forced them to attack in daylight, rather than the predawn darkness Washington had initially hoped for, it had also led the Hessian garrison to let its guard down, believing there could be no major action in such weather. Therefore, the American assault caught the enemy by surprise. After some stubborn fighting along the edge of town, the Hessians were overwhelmed by the converging attack, launched from several directions, and by the close-up support of Washington's artillery; they fell back through the streets before being rallied by Colonel Rahl, who had by now arrived to take personal command of the defense, and launched a counterattack north up King Street. Once more, intense close-quarters combat resulted; [[Henry Knox]] later described it as "a scene of war of which I had often conceived but never saw before. The hurry, fright, and confusion of the enemy was [not] unlike that which will be when the last trump shall sound."<ref>William Stryker, ''Battles of Trenton and Princeton'' (Boston, 1898), 371.</ref>

 

 

Trenton was a huge victory for the Americans, with the main body of the Hessian garrison completely wiped out (apart from a handful of soldiers and a larger number of noncombatants). Historian David Hackett Fischer records the losses as 22 killed, 83 wounded, and 896 captured, for a total of 918 casualties.  There were some casualties on the American side, including the wounding of future president [[James Monroe]], but few deaths.<ref>David Hackett Fischer, ''Washington's Crossing'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 254-55.</ref>

Two battles of Trenton are considered among the most decisive battles in the annals of military history.<ref>[http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/history/the_battle_of_trenton.html The Battle of Trenton]</ref>

Two battles of Trenton are considered among the most decisive battles in the annals of military history.<ref>[http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/history/the_battle_of_trenton.html The Battle of Trenton]</ref>