04-27-2004, 10:51 AM | #1 |
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US History - Revolutionary War
JD - I changed the name slightly so we can continue the thread if we like and branch off beyond the one event - the crossing of the Delaware and the ensuing battle of Trenton.
Anyway, this was triggered by my recent viewing of a docudrama about the latter called 'The Crossing'. I believe it was made in 2000. I didn't want to put it in 'Entertainment' forum though because I'm more interested in the historical facts. Biggest question I have from it: At the end, Washington asked one of his generals about their losses... and he reported that there had been NO CASUALTIES!! Now, the victory seemed quite overwhelming, but it's hard for me to imagine that not even one Continental soldier was killed. Was that really true, historically? The battle itself portrayed the American soldiers as slaying Hessian troops left and right (made me think of the battle before the gates of Moria in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, when Azog looks up from killing his foe (Nain?) to see the dwarves going 'this way and that, slaying as they would'). They didn't offer surrender, but on the other hand, their opponents made no attempts to surrender at first - even when caught unprepared. Washington watched impassively as his troops continued the slaughter - which only stopped when the remnants gathered at a meadow finally DID surrender. Now, I had missed the beginning, but soon after this, Washington made a comment about how these Hessian troops under this leader (who was now mortally wounded) had killed 500 Continental soldiers who HAD tried to surrender in a battle in Brooklyn(?). So I was also curious about that. Did that really happen? From his ruthless behavior when he and another officer 'took out' a unit at a guard-house, it also seemed that young Alexander Hamilton had a 'score to settle' with the Hessians. Had he lost someone close to him at the previously mentioned battle? They also claimed to have taken 900 prisoners (EDIT: from this 'battle'). Any reliable numbers on how many Hessians were killed and how many captured at Trenton? A note at the end said that there had been 16,000+ Hessian troops sent to America - and that 10,000+ had returned to Europe at war's end. It went on to say that of the rest, some had died in combat or of their wounds, but that most had actually stayed and become Americans. True? Any idea how many total British troops were deployed here at the time? How many Continental troops there were at any given time? This was pretty early in the War for Independence. I think it was still 1776 (Christmas or the day after - right?). It was the first American victory - Washington didn't really have trained soldiers - and many of his volunteer 'soldier / farmers' felt a lot of pressure to return home at intervals to work their farms. At first, his only possible goal could just be to keep an army in the field - and out of harm's way. The British regulars would have made short work of them if they had allowed constant encounters on a traditional field of battle. Last edited by Valandil : 04-27-2004 at 12:01 PM. |
04-27-2004, 04:26 PM | #2 |
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The Battle of Trenton took place during the American Revolutionary War on December 31, 1776. As the occupying Hessian forces celebrated New Years, Washington led the main Continental Army across the Delaware to surprise and virtually eliminate the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. This overwhelming victory helped to preserve the Continental Army and set the stage for the Battle of Princeton the following week.
Trenton was garrisoned by three regiments of the Hessian mercenaries, commanded by Colonel Johann Rall for a total of about 1,200 men. Washington's force of about 2,400 attacked in two columns: Major General Nathanael Greene's division from the north, and Major General John Sullivan's division from the west. A third division never made it across the river due to the weather, but was supposed to attack from the South. The troops left camp at 2:00 PM on Christmas Day. The river crossing was to be completed by midnight, but the storm which broke at 11:00 PM delayed this completion until 3:00 AM. The predawn attack was therefore delayed due to the waether and the fighting began around 8:00 AM. By 9:30 the Patriots had won. The American forces had only a handful of wounded (although two men froze to death on the march), while the Hessians lost 106 dead and wounded with at least 600 captured. Colonel Rall was mortally wounded and died the same day. The Rall and Lossburg regiments were effectively removed from the British forces.Parts of the von Knyphausen regiment escaped to the south, but Sullivan did capture some men, along with the regiments cannons and supplies. By noon, Washington's force had recrossed the Delaware back into Pennsylvania, taking their prisoners and captured supplies with them. This battle gave the Continental Congress a new confidence in that it proved American forces could defeat regulars. It also increased the reenlistments in the Continental Army forces. An interesting note is that while only four Americans received light wounds, all of these came during the rush to capture the Hessian artillery park, preventing the guns from being used. Two of these were officers; William Washington (the General's cousin) and young Lietunant James Monroe, the future President of the United States. Just moments before the battle served as the inspiration for a famous painting of "Washington crossing the Delaware River." The image in the painting, in which Washington stands majestic in his boat as it is crossing the river, is almost certainly fictional, as the waters of the river were icy and treacherous and the flag Washington holds was not created until six months after the battle. Washington, as with all of his troops, most likely stayed low in the boat to provide cover and protection. Nonetheless, the image has become an icon of American history. Does that help? Another online source stated that primary documents differ about whether Washington's army sufferred casualties (but two most likely did die from freezing).
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04-27-2004, 04:31 PM | #3 |
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Thanks Merc! I'll wait for JD to weigh in with his thoughts.
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04-27-2004, 05:17 PM | #4 | |
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I live 10 minutes from Battle Of Princeton, half hour from Washington's Crossing, half hour from where the Battle of Trenton took place and the last remaining barracks from the French and Indian war still stands (this is where the Hessians were located) and a half hour from the Monmouth Battlefield. I'm on the board of directors for the Princeton Battlefield Area Preservation Society Here is my page on my website for Princeton Battlefield State Park BVy the way - before the march to Trenton is where Thomas Paine wrote his famous "These are the Times that Try Men Souls". The revolutionary army was about to disolve. This is literally the turning point of the revolution. The revolutionary soldiers were chased all the way through New Jersey and across the Delaware - it was a do or die situation. If Washington did not have a victory - his soldiers were not going to reenlist at the end of the year. It was because of the Battle of Trenton that his army survived to fight on. Oh another thing - the Battle fo Princeton was the first victory over British Regulars - it is also where the first US Marine died.
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04-27-2004, 05:28 PM | #5 | |
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From your comment in the other thread, I take it you saw that docudrama... what did you think of it? |
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04-27-2004, 05:42 PM | #6 | |
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The TRUE harsh winters both took place in Morristown the following years at his winter encampment. He stayed two years in Morristown. The mountains in the area gave him perfect look outs to observe the British troops in NY and northern NJ. As for the movie - I saw it - but it was pretty fictionalized. Right after it came out - I was at Washington's Crossing State Park and I asked them about it - and they said that the movie really twisted some things. I don't remember much - so I can't really say anything conclusive about it. I'll have to see it again. Oh - also as Mercutio posted - Washington standing up in the boat is complete fiction. I do have a short video that I was putting together - it basically just an experiement. You can check it out though. Let me look at it and I'll repost it in here. Here is the video - I'm going to have to reproduce it for better quality sometime... Washington's Crossing Reenactment 2000. This is on the Pennyslvania side - they shoot the cannons over toward the Delaware River and New Jersey. I just park on the NJ side and then walk across the Bridge to the Pennsylvania side.
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04-27-2004, 05:58 PM | #7 |
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We always wanted to go see the reenactment--except Christmas Day (don't they do it then?) was kind of the wrong time!
Don't they do practice runs though? And you can watch those earlier in the year? Or maybe I'm just really mixed up right now and none of this exists.
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04-27-2004, 06:11 PM | #8 | |
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Here is a collage I put together for my website... I also use my Monmouth Battlefield pictures of my online store. It's one of the designs on my t-shirts.
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04-27-2004, 06:26 PM | #9 | |
I am Freddie/UNDERCOVER/ Founder of The Great Continent of Entmoot
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BTW Val - you can talk about this on my New Jersey forum too
Maybe one day you'll decide to take a vacation out here. BTW - here is the 255th Anniversary of the 10 Crucial Days website. This is what the time period between the Crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Princeton is called. Quote:
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04-27-2004, 06:29 PM | #10 | |
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Mike nodded. A sombre nod. The nod Napoleon might have given if somebody had met him in 1812 and said, "So, you're back from Moscow, eh?". Interested in C.S. Lewis? Visit the forum dedicated to one of Tolkien's greatest contemporaries. |
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04-27-2004, 06:32 PM | #11 | |
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This is my 7777 post Jonathan.
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04-27-2004, 06:35 PM | #12 |
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Maybe I'll come in 2026--that would be big!
Its a shame so many people don't know and appreciate their own history. The levels of intelligence seem to be drastically dropping....so sad. And reenactments, old preserved buildings, etc. are really fun. Ever heard of "Living History Farms" in Iowa? Or the Amana colonices? They are exciting. I love living history stuff. oooo and also Landis Valley Farm in Lancaster. (random, yes)
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04-27-2004, 06:48 PM | #13 | ||
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There are also many historic buildings here - such as Historic Rockingham where Washington wrote his farewell address to his troops after the war. Congress was meeting in Princeton because the Army was rebelling because of back pay. So Congress fled philadelphia to Princeton and met at Nassau Hall on Princeton Univerity then known as the College of New Jersey. One of the reasons I love Nj is because of all this history. Rockingham is only 10 minutes away from me - I used to pass it every day going to work. I used to go to school across the street from Princeton University. I love the history and the old colonial towns - like Cranbury, which is the town next to me. The the west I border Princeton - to the east I border Cranbury.
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04-27-2004, 07:01 PM | #14 | |
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04-27-2004, 07:12 PM | #15 | ||
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I guess this thread is getting away from Revolutionary War stuff now.
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04-27-2004, 07:33 PM | #16 |
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Ahh---Revolutionary War.
At some point (this is all vague remebrance)...Washington and his troops did something on Manhattan Island and the fog came in and blocked the British allowing them (Washington's troops) to escape...or something. Can you help?
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04-27-2004, 07:40 PM | #17 | |
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04-27-2004, 07:47 PM | #18 |
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On August 22, 1776 the British landed on Long Island. British General William Howe defeated General Charles Lee at the Battle of Long Island. This took place at Jamaica Pass in Brooklyn. The British had has lost 63 killed and 337 wounded and missing while Washington had lost about 970 men killed, wounded or missing, and 1,079 taken captive. George Washington had lost almost a quarter of his entire command.
On August 26, General Charles Lee retreated to Brooklyn Heights. The British could have won an even greater victory if General William Howe had heeded the pleas of his officers to storm the American redoubts at Brooklyn Heights. General Howe wanted to avoid another Bunker (Breed's) Hill. He ordered his men to dig in and bring the guns into range. When George Washington arrived on August 27, he wasted no time on blaming who lost the battle of Long Island. Remaining cool, calm, and confident, he oversaw the construction of new fortifications on Brooklyn Heights. A serendipitous downpour made further British attacks unlikely. American troops found it hard to cook their food or to keep their powder dry. On August 28, additional troops arrived to boost the number of men under his command to 9,000. Washington realized that he had put himself in a trap. He had split his troops between Manhattan and Long Island, with the Hudson River, the East River, and Long Island Sound open to British warships and transport. Admiral Richard Howe, the brother of General Howe, could cut him off if moved the fleet from the New Jersey Shore to the East River to block movement from Long Island to Manhattan. Unfavorable winds and rains kept Admiral Howe from taking advantage of this opportunity to cut Washington off. Rain continued to be intermittent the next day, August 29. Washington realized his position was untenable and it was time to withdraw. The seagoing soldiers of John Glover's Marblehead [Massachusetts] Regiment noiselessly ferried Washington's troops across the East River to Manhattan on the night of August 29. Darkness, fog, and bad weather immobilized Admiral Howe's fleet. Washington's cool and firm command exacted superb discipline from green troops. They remained quiet throughout the ordeal. He had kept the British high command in utter ignorance of the evacuation that he hastily ordered. When the British charged in the morning, they founded empty trenches. Washington's army lived to fight another day. I think that is really cool. The fog came at the perfect time for them to escape--without it who knows where we'd be!
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04-27-2004, 08:16 PM | #19 | ||
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Nice job JD,
I knew you would be quick to respond, but I did not realize how quick. You posted plenty of good information. Here is one website I found on the topic. http://www.doublegv.com/ggv/battles/Trenton.html Quote:
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04-27-2004, 08:18 PM | #20 | |
I am Freddie/UNDERCOVER/ Founder of The Great Continent of Entmoot
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According to Washington's Crossing it was a nor'easter that came through and then a heavy fog followed.
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Come back! Come back! To Mordor we will take you! "The only thing better than a great plan is implementing a great plan" - JerseyDevil "If everyone agreed with me all the time, everything would be just fine"- JerseyDevil AboutNewJersey.com New Jersey MessageBoard Another Tolkien Forum Memorial to the Twin Towers New Jersey Map Fellowship of the Messageboard Legend of the Jersey Devil Support New Jersey's Liberty Tower Peacefire.org AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Guide Last edited by jerseydevil : 04-27-2004 at 08:26 PM. |
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