By Published On: November 9, 202417.2 min readTotal Views: 491Daily Views: 11Categories: The History List StoreTags:

“Washington Crossing the Delaware” Advent Calendar

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Click on the date to learn more about the item for that day

Posted around 8 pm Eastern so that everyone has plenty of time to have opened their calendar.

The History

“In the winter of 1776, General George Washington and his ragged army had experienced only defeat and despair. The War for Independence was going badly, with failure following failure.

“In the preceding months, Washington’s campaign in New York had not gone well; the Battle of Long Island ended in a loss when the British troops managed to out-maneuver the Continental Army. A series of defeats settled around Washington as he was forced to retreat across New Jersey to Pennsylvania American troops arrived at water’s edge in Trenton around noon on December 2, 1776. Other regiments joined the Pennsylvania encampments later in the month.

“As the harsh Pennsylvania winter set in, the morale of the American troops was at an all-time low. The soldiers were forced to deal with a lack of both food and warm clothing, while Washington watched his army shrink due to desertions and expiring enlistments. Now, more than ever, a victory was desperately needed.

“General Washington hatched a daring plan to cross the Delaware River under the cover of darkness, march to Trenton and attack the Hessian outposts in and around Trenton. The boats to be used for the crossing were gathered earlier in the month in compliance with Washington’s orders, primarily as a defensive measure. Various types of boats were collected; most notable were the large, heavy Durham boats used to carry pig iron down the Delaware.

“Fully expecting to be supported by two brigades south of Trenton, Washington assembled his own troops near McConkey’s Ferry in preparation for the crossing. By about 6 PM, 2,400 troops had begun crossing the ice-choked river. The operation was slow and difficult due to the condition of the river. There was an abrupt change in the weather forcing the men to fight their way through sleet and a blinding snowstorm. These obstacles proved to be too much for the supporting brigades led by Generals Cadwalader and Ewing, ultimately preventing their crossing at southern points along the Delaware.

“Against all odds, Washington and his men successfully completed the crossing and marched into Trenton on the morning of December 26, achieving a resounding victory over the Hessians. By moving ahead with his bold and daring plan, Washington re-ignited the cause of freedom and gave new life to the American Revolution.”

Source: Washington Crossing Historical Park, which has additional information, including answers to questions, including “Why Was Trenton Occupied by Hessians and Not the British?” and “Why Didn’t the Hessians Fortify Trenton Ahead of Washington’s Attack?

Maps that show the location of the crossing and put it in the context of the war

McConnell's historical maps of the United States: The Revolutionary War, 1776-1777

McConnell’s historical maps of the United States: The Revolutionary War, 1776-1777

A map showing the important battles that occurred right after the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to the Battle of Saratoga on October 17, 1777.

Source: Wikipedia (large image of the map) By James McConnell – Library of Congress, Public Domain

From the caption:

After the signing of the Declaration of Independence came a dark period of the American Revolution.
Washington, driven out of Long Island, New York, Fort Washington, and Fort Lee, retreated across New York, pursued by the British.

Then, on that memorable Christmas night, the tide was turned for a while. Washington captured the Hessians at Trenton and a few days later gained the victory at Princeton.

Howe landed his troops at the head of Chesapeake Bay. Washington tried to check his advance at Chaddsford on Brandywine Creek but was defeated, therefore the British occupied Philadelphia.

Washington made a bold attack at Germantown but was repulsed.

Meanwhile the British desiring to cut off New England from the other colonies, planned to capture New York by three lines of attack:

1. St. Leger was to advance by way of the Saint Lawrence River, Lake Ontario. Oswego, capture Fort Stanwix, and move down the Mohawk Valley.

2. Burgoyne was to advance from the north by way of Lake Champlain.

3. Howe was to come up the Hudson from New York. The three were to meet at Albany.

St Leger beseiged Fort Stanwix. Herkimer came to the relief of the fort, fell into an ambush of British and Indians at Oriskany, but rallying, made a gallant fight. The Indians deserted, and St. Leger, hearing of the approach of Arnold, and attacked by a sortie from the fort, hastily retreated to Oswego.

Burgoyne was harassed and hindered by Schuyler.

An expedition sent Burgoyne under Baum and Breyman to Bennington to seize American supplies was capture by Stark. Howe failed to send aid in time and after two hard fights at Bemis Heights and Stillwater, Burgoyne surrendered his entire army at Saratoga, Oct. 17, 1777.

Two great results of the surrender were. The English plan of the war was broken up and France recognized the independence of the United States and pledged aid.

Plan of the operations of General Washington, against the Kings troops in New Jersey, from the 26th, of December, 1776, to the 3d. January 1777.

A map of the Delaware River area depicting the route George Washington and his Army made during the crossing, by William Faden, an English cartographer and a publisher of maps. He printed the North American Atlas in 1777, and “. . . it became the most important atlas chronicling the Revolution’s battles.” There were 29 maps in the atlas, and they included detailed battle maps drawn by eyewitnesses.

Source: Wikipedia (large image of the map) By William Faden – Library of Congress, Public Domain

The story behind the magnificent painting and frame

Emanuel Leutze, an artist born in Germany, made the painting in Düsseldorf during the middle of the nineteenth century.

Leutze painted two versions. He began the first in 1849 immediately following the failure of Germany’s own revolution. (This initial canvas was eventually destroyed during an Allied bombing raid in World War II.) The artist began the second version of Washington Crossing the Delaware in 1850. This later painting was transported to New York where it was exhibited in a gallery in October 1851. Two years later, Marshall O. Roberts, a wealthy capitalist, purchased the work for the then-staggering price of $10,000.

It was exhibited at The Metropolitan Fair of 1864,  a public event organized in New York City to raise funds and supplies for the Union Army during the Civil War. It was the largest Sanitary Fair ever and raised more than a million dollars.

The photo of the hall at the fair that had the painting on display was taken by Matthew Brady and is in the National Archives.

The painting was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1897. It remained there until 1950 when long held curatorial concerns about its bombastic, crowd-pleasing qualities led the museum to send it to Dallas and eventually to a site near the actual river crossing. The painting returned to New York in 1970.

Source: Khan Academy

Today, as shown in the photo below, the painting can be seen at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  The frame was done by Eli Wilner & Company working from the photograph by Matthew Brady.  Their site has a link to a YouTube video that includes more information on the restoration as well as the reproduction of the frame that once housed the painting.  (Tip: Click the link to view the video on their site and you’ll avoid the incredibly annoying YouTube ads.)  The completed frame weighs 3,000 pounds and required more than 12,500 sheets of gold leaf to gild. The eagle atop the frame is 14 feet across.

Image credit: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/538743174173307523/

Thanks to John Bell for his help

Author John Bell was extremely helpful as we worked on this calendar. Check out his daily Boston 1775 blog and his book, The Road to Concord. You can order an inscribed, autographed copy through The History List Store. You can also watch a video of John discussing his book on History Camp Author Discussions from the non-profit organization The Pursuit of History.

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"The Road to Concord" Signed and inscribed by John Bell