Finding the Maryland 400

“For heaven’s sake, keep this to yourself,” George Washington wrote to Colonel Joseph Reed, laying out his plan to capture Trenton. “Christmas day at night, one hour before day, is the time fixed upon for our attempt on Trenton.”[1] The first year of the Revolution would soon come to an end, and the future of the struggle depended on the army’s success at Trenton. The Continental Army was forced to act—the British seemed primed to capture Philadelphia, and they were already in possession of New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. A victory before the end of the year would also help secure the reenlistments the army so desperately needed, as well as reviving morale in the general population, who had begun to lose confidence in the Revolutionary cause. However, every engagement carried risk; the crossing of the Delaware would be a delicate operation, and defeat would be catastrophic. Continue reading →