General Cornwallis was so sure that the war
would soon come to an end that he had already packed some of his luggage
and sent it to the ship in which he expected to return to England.
But Washington had no thought of giving up the struggle. Others might say:
"It's of no use to fight against such heavy odds." General Washington was
not that kind of man. He faced the dark outlook with all his courage and
energy. Full of faith in the cause for which he was willing to die, he
watched eagerly for the opportunity to turn suddenly upon his
overconfident enemy and strike a heavy blow.
THE VICTORY AT TRENTON
Such an opportunity came soon. A body of British troops, made up of
Hessians (or Germans mainly from Hesse-Cassel, hired as soldiers by King
George), was stationed at Trenton, and Washington planned to surprise them
on Christmas night, when, as he knew, it was their custom to hold a feast
and revel.
With two thousand four hundred picked men he prepared to cross the
Delaware River at a point nine miles above Trenton. The ground was white
with snow, and the weather was bitterly cold. As the soldiers marched to
the place of crossing, some of them whose feet were almost bare left
bloody footprints along the route.
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