Washington's Crossing

            I spent the weekend in Princeton, New Jersey. I was impressed that 800-plus students received their master’s degrees from Princeton Seminary. But the weekend didn’t end there for me.

            We visited the site where George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River that long ago Christmas night. Let me refresh our memories about this significant incident.

            It was winter. The troops were cold, tired, and had no hope of defeating the Red Coats. How can you defeat your enemies when you have boots with holes in the soles or no shoes at all, or rags tied around your feet when you are trudging through snow, sleet, rain and wind? You have no coat. No gloves to warm protect your hands. You are tired, hungry and feel the enemy breathing down your necks.

            Washington’s troops camped on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware. The British and Hessians defeated the colonists on Long Island and then Manhattan in August, the colonists fleeing further west until they were across the Delaware into Pennsylvania.

            The British, having gained New Jersey and Rhode Island, were sure they would successfully end the Revolution in Britain’s favor.

            As 1776 neared its close, the troops would be released from their commitment and return to their homes. Many of them probably were counting the days, anxious to get back to their families, their farms, their warm, comfortable beds.

            Washington decided they were attack the British at Trenton. On Christmas night he and his troops crossed the narrow river, choppy with ice and wind, pelted with sleet, rain and snow. It took eight hours to transport the men, the artillery, horses and other equipment they would need. Each man carried 40 rounds of ammunition for his weapon.

            They surprised the enemy. Who would have expected an attack on Christmas? The Rebels gained the victory. Less than a week later they crossed again, gaining victories on Jan. 2 and 3 and beginning a new year with hope and strength, determined that they could, in fact, send the Red Coats back to England with their tails between their legs.

            Washington and his troops brought about the turning point of the Revolutionary War by bringing hope to the Rebels, the kind of hope they needed to rise up and become a force to be reckoned with. We all know the outcome of the Revolutionary War.

            What worth does this story have? Why is it still relevant today?

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(c) 2012 Cathy Thomas Brownfield ~ All Rights Reserved.