The Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a major victory for the colonists. The American morale was very low and this success convinced many people to sign up as volunteers for the army.
To start off with, Washington had a limited number of troops. His plan to cross the Delaware made the battle even more risky as two groups of men were stranded on one side because of the dangerous conditions. After leaving some troops Washington marched 14km to Trenton with only 2,700 men. However, they were facing a camp of only 1,500. The colonists had low quality weapons but they had the advantages of numbers and surprise.
To start off with, Washington had a limited number of troops. His plan to cross the Delaware made the battle even more risky as two groups of men were stranded on one side because of the dangerous conditions. After leaving some troops Washington marched 14km to Trenton with only 2,700 men. However, they were facing a camp of only 1,500. The colonists had low quality weapons but they had the advantages of numbers and surprise.
The Battle
George Washington's plan was to separate his army into 4 parts. The first section would block off the escape route at Assunpink Creek with 700 men. The second section would attack New Jersey to stop reinforcements from getting to Trenton. Then, the main group would march toward Trenton and then split in two. One half would attack from the south and the other from the north. These halves had groups of about 40 men station themselves close to the city to capture all the British soldiers that ran away.
Washington had also made preparations before the battle. He began to ambush patrols and organise raids across the river. Washington also prepared ferries to get them across the river. A few people fell into the river during the crossing but nobody died. After arriving at Trenton they carried out their plan with only a few mistakes.
When they reached the city they were joined by a force of 50 colonists that had attacked a British outpost. This was lucky because the British general thought that the raid was the main attack.
The full colonial force attacked at around 8:00 in the morning. They captured the British cannons and surrounded the men. Two thirds of the British