Greatest Battles
As 1776 drew to a close, the rebel army under George Washington had suffered a string of demoralising defeats. Worse than that, they had often proved unable to stand against the larger British army, led by General William Howe. The Americans had broken and run at the Battle of Long Island and during the British landings on Manhattan. Washington was scrabbling to hold together the remnants of his army.
As Christmas approached, the British settled down for a winter in New York and made plans for their 1777 campaign. Howe prepared an overwhelming combination of operations and the revolutionary cause looked to be on the verge of dying, but while Howe made his plans for the following year, Washington had ideas to act much sooner than that.
When the British ended their offensive operations for the year, they went into ‘winter quarters’. This included an extensive string of posts in New Jersey, intended to encourage loyalists in the colony to feel confident enough to join the British cause.
Washington was in the depths of despair, knowing that his army was on the brink of complete collapse and seeing no hope of support from the local population. His numbers had dwindled to around 3,500 and only the Delaware River was between him and the British. As the weather worsened, the river would freeze and Washington feared the British would then cross it in force to hunt down his tiny army.
On the verge of losing the war, Washington listened to the advice of Colonel Joseph Reed,
who had looked at the British posts in New Jersey and
