Washington’s colonial army spent the early part
of the war losing battles to the English and
afterwards retreating. In a series of battles, the
Americans were not able to prevent the English army
from taking
NewYork City
. As a result, the English
army chasedWashington’s army westward across
New Jersey
. When the Americans came to the
Delaware River, there were no bridges to get across
the river. They found large, flat-bottomed vessels,
called Durhamboats, in which to load hismen. He
crossed the river safely into Pennsylvania. By doing
this, he avoided being captured by the English. When
the English army got to the river, there were no boats
for them to cross the river. They decided to seize
homes and stay in nearby .
Washington’s army had not won any battles and
morale
among the troops was low. He desperately
needed to win a battle so that hismen would know
they could win against the English. Washington
decided to attack the English army which nowwas
housed in Trenton. To attack, he had to go back
across the Delaware River. It was a cold, icy
Christmas night andWashington split his army into
three groups. The weather was so bad that two
groups turned back. However, General Washington
continued crossing the Delaware. Hemarched his
troops all night toward Trenton. By the next morning,
Washington’s troops caught the English army by
surprise. Washington had what he wanted and
needed – a victory over the English army, now known
as the
Battle of Trenton
. Today, the place where
Washington took his boats across the Delaware River
is known as the
Washington Crossing State Park
.
When England decided to invade Philadelphia in
1777, the American army fought several different
battles in the Brandywine region near Philadelphia.
The Americans lost these battles as well. As a
result, England’s army took control of Philadelphia.
Today, you can visit the
Brandywine Battlefield Park
operated by the National Park Service.
Themap below shows troopmovements before, during, and
after the Battle of Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777. The
English army’s decisive victory allowed them to take control
of our new capital in Philadelphia.
The American Colonies’ RevolutionaryWar
51
GeorgeWashington’s troops crossed the icyDelaware River
onChristmas night in 1776 andmarched straight to
Trenton. Their surprise attack on the English forces
provided the Continental Army with amuch-needed
victory andmorale boost.
