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Praetorium Honoris

Thursday, December 28, 2023

John Blackshoe Sends: Serendipity History - Motivation matters - The Battle of Trenton 26 December 1776 - A bold, desperate Christmas gamble that changed history (Part 2 of 2)

Last time we discussed events leading up to General Washington’s decision to take his shrinking, tired and battle weary army across the Delaware River into New Jersey to attack the Hessian forces settle in for a long winter’s nap in Trenton. Let’s row!

A German immigrant, Emmanuel Leutze, painted this artistic masterpiece in 1851. He actually painted three nearly identical versions. The first went to a museum in Bremen, German, where allied bombings destroyed it in 1942. This is the second, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The third was slightly smaller and hung in the White House 1979-2014, and is now in the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, MN. (Which looks like a very nice museum!)
It is great art, but lousy history. The river here is less than 300 yards wide. Washington’s army crossed at night, not daylight, the “Betsy Ross flag” was not adopted until a year later, the boat is too small and vastly different from the “Durham boats” used, and too crowded, and the weather is far too nice. But, the symbolism is wonderful. Again, great art, lousy history and too many people learn their history from movies or pretty pictures, not facts.

A more accurate depiction is probably this one by Mort Kunstler, an excellent modern military artist, depicting the flat ferry boats used to transport mostly artillery and horses, but not the Durham boats used by most troops.

Okay, so they crossed an icy river on a bunch of boats, in rain and snow and wind, so then what?

Pennsylvania artist Harrington Fitzgerald (1847-1930) painted this version Washington’s crossing about 100 years after the Revolutionary War. Instead of showing the actual crossing, Fitzgerald shows the Continental Army on the New Jersey side of the river regrouping and preparing to march on Trenton. Fitzgerald spent much of his life working for a family-owned newspaper, but studied painting under several notable American artists, including Thomas Eakins and John Singer Sargent. Fitzgerald is best known for his works depicting the landscape of Valley Forge.
(Source)
Now, this is starting to look COLD, wet, windy. Even an unopposed landing is complex, especially getting units formed up from different boats. Dang, the weather sucks.

Trenton was about 10 miles from the crossing site, in the cold, wet, freezing weather. The troops had been up all night waiting to cross. Thanks to Murphy’s usual contributions, they were running several hours late. Time to move out! 

Washington’s army marches to Trenton.
(Source)
Don Troiani is one of the best contemporary American military artists (my other favorite is COL Donna J. Neary, USMCR, (Ret)) with superb attention to detail, and thoroughly researched arms, equipment, uniforms, and the geography and tactical situations depicted.

(The landing and march paintings above are both from the Museum of the American Revolution, which is truly outstanding if you ever visit Philadelphia. Troiani is also a serious collector of military antiques, enhancing his painting details. He discusses his collecting, paintings and work with the museum in this 62 minute video.)

As Washington’s men hurried towards Trenton, the chill wind was at their backs. The artillery unit in the foreground had been lucky enough to get some new clothing issues from Philadelphia, so are better dressed than many. Captain Alexander Hamilton (age 19 at the time) leaning back in the saddle at left, commanded 30 New Yorkers with their two gleaming bronze six pounder howitzers which were among the 18 artillery pieces brought across the river to play a key role in the battle.


Hessian commander, Colonel Johan Rall [sometimes Rahl] was competent, experienced, and senior, but his Hessian superiors and peers hated him for those factors and also his not being of their higher social status, so cooperation was nil. Pennsylvania and New Jersey militia had been pestering the Hessians with nightly harassing fire, so the Hessians were already tired and jumpy, and used to their outposts being attacked. Thus the first shots on 26 December were not considered significant until they realized it was a major assault. The 2,400 Continental soldiers were split to surround the town on both sides while the main body moved through Trenton. This became a running battle as the 1,500 Hessians tried to form up under direct artillery fire with shot and canister from multiple directions, directed by Henry Knox, along with infantry support. Colonel Rall was mortally wounded, living barely long enough to surrender his force to Washington, with a plea that they be treated humanely. (They were. It’s usually the American way.) Hessian losses were 22 dead, 86 wounded and nearly 900 captured (some of whom later escaped). American losses were miraculously only FIVE WOUNDED, and zero dead. One of the wounded was future president, James Monroe in the final attack to seize the Hessian artillery.

Don Troiani’s rendition of Colonel Rall being hit while trying to form up his troops.
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Source)
American military historian and artist H. Charles McBarron (1902-1992) provided his interpretation of the battle, depicting the attack on Hessian artillery in which James Monroe was wounded.

The results were decisive. The victory was significant not only for the immediate morale boost, but for the fact that 1,200 muskets, six cannons, and large supplies of uniforms and food were captured when the Colonials needed all they could get.

I very much like artist Don Troiani’s comment:

“And for the Holiday Season we have the most important American history Christmas of them all, the Battle of Trenton in 1776 which certainly could be described at the battle that saved American Independence. Here is depicted the death of Colonel Rall commanding the Hessian Brigade defending the town. Following the this up with another victory at Princeton , the crumbling rebellion was given new hope and General Washington's bold move assured his place as one of the greatest Americans of all time.”

The victories at Trenton and a week later at Princeton were unbelievably bold, and fortunately for our freedom today, they were successful. Perhaps today we can smugly make memes about the Battle of Trenton, but at the time it was a deadly serious opportunity upon which our ultimate victory rested.


Thomas Paine’s contribution to the focus on independence, and his motivational words right before the Trenton campaign were major contributions, but he did much more. Paine went on to write a total of 13 installments of “The American Crisis” by 1780; worked with Congress to execute the war; continued his (then considered radical) advocacy leading to the Northwest Ordinance; writing on “The Rights of Man,” and “The Age of Reason.” He became involved with the French Revolution, narrowly escaped the guillotine, and was finally released from French prison with help from James Monroe, one of the victors at Trenton, who perhaps recalled the effects of Paine’s writing which made that possible.

“At the time of his death, most American newspapers reprinted the obituary notice from the New York Evening Post that was in turn quoting from The American Citizen, which read in part: ‘He had lived long, did some good, and much harm.’ Only six mourners came to his funeral, two of whom were black, most likely freedmen.” (Source)

I’d show a photo of his grave, but he was denied burial in a Quaker cemetery near his home, so buried instead on his farm. Ten years later, an admiring radical exhumed the skeletal remains and took them to England for “a heroic reburial on his native soil.” But after 15 years that had not taken place, and eventually the remains were lost, although there were unconfirmed claims by some that they possessed his skull or right hand. (Source)


For a much better account of the entire Revolution up through Trenton and Princeton, I MOST STRONGLY recommend Rick Atkinson’s superbly researched and incredibly well written “The British Are Coming!” (Available via ABEbooks.com for under $10.00 - Best money you will spend this month!)

For a U.S. Army professional analysis of the Trenton operation go here.

NOTE: As an American I see this as a huge win for the good guys. However, the losers sometimes have very different view on these events. For those wishing to see what the Brits think check out their analysis at here. That site is excellent for virtually every significant battle in British history.

Merry Christmas, 1776, indeed!
 
 

20 comments:

  1. An excellent post JB and the book "The British Are Coming" is very good and there's another book I'd recommend by David Hackett Fischer "Washington's Crossing" from 2004 which is not too shabby. Thanks for all the effort these past two posts JB.

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    1. I'll pile on for "Washington's Crossing" A vital book, excellently researched and written. These are stories we NEED to keep close to us in our own times that "try mens souls"
      Boat Guy

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  2. Interesting details about rivalries between Hessian regiments. I was unaware that American Artillery was involved in what I was taught an infantry assault on sleeping enemies. Thanks for the illumination on a critical moment of the American Revolution.

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  3. Another excellent work, thank you. In my life in various reenacting groups I've done the "heavy, stinking wet wool in cold raid" bit. Can't imagine it in those conditions. Then to march 10 miles in full kit, likely having to help push the guns along, and then having to fight....and all that after a river crossing.

    Iron men, indeed.

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    1. Winter....up all night, a river crossing, a 10 miles march with cannon and then an attack on a town. Tough men.

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    2. One of the big spoils of the event was capturing the Hessians' food and drink, since Congress was being stingy about letting money out of their hands for little things like food. An issue that would come up in Valley Forge later.

      Blankets were also very appreciated as spoils.

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  4. JB,
    Agree with all the above. The tiny personal details on the famous names in your post were a treasure to read. Real people doing very hard things with little hope for success. Yet, here we are. Let's pray we don't piddle it away. Thanks
    juvat

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  5. How did Alexander Hamilton get to be a Captain at 19?

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    1. Well, as the title character in a Broadway show, played by a Black person, he was a diversity hire for underrepresented groups.....

      Actually, he was a really sharp guy who got the job on merit. From Wikipedia:
      "Born out of wedlock in Charlestown, Nevis, Hamilton was orphaned as a child and taken in by a prosperous merchant. He pursued his education in New York City where, despite his young age, he was a prolific and widely read pamphleteer advocating for the American revolutionary cause, though an anonymous one. He then served as an artillery officer in the American Revolutionary War, where he saw military action against the British in the New York and New Jersey campaign, served for years as an aide to General George Washington, and helped secure American victory at the climactic Siege of Yorktown. After the Revolutionary War, Hamilton served as a delegate from New York to the Congress of the Confederation in Philadelphia. He resigned to practice law and founded the Bank of New York. In 1786, Hamilton led the Annapolis Convention to replace the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution of the United States, which he helped ratify by writing 51 of the 85 installments of The Federalist Papers."

      In 1786 he became the first Secretary of the Treasury, at age 29. He may have actually been 2 years older than the 19 and 29 mentioned here, as his exact date of birth is noted as 1755 or 1757. People recognized merit and rewarded it then, without demanding degrees from Harvard or decades working up corporate ladders.

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    2. Any Mouse - Please identify yourself. I am close to banning Anonymous comments without a handle. Perhaps all comments will go to moderation in the near future.

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    3. More from Wikipedia- Really- go read his full bio there. REMARKABLE GUY!

      "In 1775, after the first engagement of American patriot troops with the British at Lexington and Concord, Hamilton and other King's College students joined a New York volunteer militia company called the Corsicans, whose name reflected the Corsican Republic that was suppressed six years earlier and young American patriots regarded as a model to be emulated.

      Hamilton drilled with the company before classes in the graveyard of nearby St. Paul's Chapel. He studied military history and tactics on his own and was soon recommended for promotion. Under fire from HMS Asia, he led his newly renamed unit, "Hearts of Oak", with support from Hercules Mulligan and the Sons of Liberty on a successful raid for British cannons in the Battery; the successful capture of the battery resulted in the unit being designated an artillery company.

      Through his connections with influential New York patriots, including Alexander McDougall and John Jay, Hamilton raised the New York Provincial Company of Artillery of 60 men in 1776, and was elected captain. The company took part in the campaign of 1776 in and around New York City; as rearguard of the Continental Army's retreat up Manhattan, serving at the Battle of Harlem Heights shortly after, and at the Battle of White Plains a month later. At the Battle of Trenton, the company was stationed at the high point of Trenton at the intersection of present-day Warren and Broad streets to keep the Hessians pinned in their Trenton barracks."
      JB

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    4. Until after the American Civil War, there were several ways to become an officer of a militia unit. One way was to simply buy a commission, if one or one's family had the money. Another way was political squeeze, as in "I'll give your son a commission if you buy 500 hams from my stores." And another was being elected, as in the militia group forms up, counts how many are there, and elects officers from the mob to fill the required slots.

      Prior experience was nice, but not always needed. Prior good experience was much better, but...
      What we consider a professional army (until 2013) was a reasonably new thing in America. Remember, Truman got his officer slot in WWI due to politics, his fraternal associations, some talent for organization and leadership, but he did not go to a military school of any kind. He served in the Missouri National Guard from 1905-1911, but rejoined during WWI and was elected as a Lieutenant by his battery.

      Kind of like how modern militias, which are seen as badthink, function. Group gets together, elects leaders and hopefully nobody's an FBI or other government stooge....

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    5. Over half the Proud Boys in DC on that January day were working for the FBI...

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  6. Great details! I learned something new. Like Michael, I heard about sleeping enemies. My historical understanding of this era is woefully lacking.

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  7. Another excellent informational dump, JB!

    When we were growing up we had a a book from National Geographic on The Revolutionary War (it now lives in my library). One the pictures that is burned into my brain from it is Rall surrendering his sword, mortally wounded.

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  8. I remember back in the 60's and 70's, the American Heritage magazine published excellent historical magazine writeups on all aspects of American history. The use of existing paintings and paintings commissioned by them provided some really excellent graphics to their pre-photograph era pieces.

    Excellent work, JB.

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    1. I remember, as a kid, looking at the paintings of Breeds' Hill and the pictorial description of what those Scottish soldiers went was horrifying.

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    2. There were no Scottish regiments at that battle.

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    3. An Excellent, much missed magazine.

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  9. John, great posts. I learned a lot over the last 2 days.

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