On Thursday, former New Jersey Republican Senate candidate, Tricia Flanagan, tweeted, “President Trump has allowed new Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to use classified information to prosecute.” Barrister Linwood’s response raised concerns about whether a scene from history would actually happen today.
Barrister Linwood responded “It sounds like President Trump has put his boat in the water and is ready to cross the Delaware River.
Tens of millions of patriots ready to follow suit
On Christmas Eve.
History will indeed repeat itself.”
Photo: “Washington Crossing the Delaware” is an 1851 oil painting by German artist Emmanuel Loyts depicting Washington crossing the Delaware River on Dec. 25, 1776, during the American Revolution.
The allusion used here by Barrister Linwood refers to Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776, to launch a raid against Hessian mercenaries.
Washington’s night crossing of the Delaware River was a key move by the Continental Army in the early days of the American Revolutionary War, and without it, the outcome of the War of Independence might have been rewritten.
Washington led the night crossing of the Delaware River at the end of 1776, before the Continental Congress had already declared American independence on July 4, and had already appointed Washington as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army to lead the army of the North American people to resist the British counterattack.
In terms of military strength, the North American colonists did not have a decent regular army at that time, they were the so-called militia, in fact, the people’s spontaneous formation of armed, very poorly equipped; while the British army was the regular army from the homeland and professional soldiers recruited from all over Europe, weapons and equipment as well as combat experience are stronger than the Continental Army, especially the Hessian soldiers from Germany (Hessian soldiers), accounting for about a quarter of the total number of British troops, very strong combat power, is a terrible opponent of the Continental Army.
Before the declaration of American independence, the North American militia fought a number of battles against the British in the Boston area of New England from 1775 to March 1776. Although the battles ended when the Continental Army forced the British to withdraw from Boston, Britain did not strengthen its military deployment in North America at that time, nor did it show strong force. When the United States declared independence, Britain realized the seriousness of the situation, so it strengthened the deployment of troops and sent a large number of additional troops to North America to prepare for the suppression of the independence movement. It was in this situation that the newly formed Continental Army faced a severe test, and many people had no confidence in defeating the British.
In September 1775, the new Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in North America, Viscount William Howe, was an experienced soldier with a long history of campaigning. He led about 25,000 British troops to attack New York in July 1776, while the Continental Army under Washington, with about 19,000 men, was not only inferior in numbers to the British, but also lacked in the collection of military intelligence. The Continental Army did not know where the British would attack, so it could only divide and hold Manhattan, Long Island, etc. After two months of attack and defense, the British occupied New York. The British occupied New York and the Continental Army was forced to retreat across the Hudson River into New Jersey territory and, pursued by the British, retreated all the way across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.
The loss of New York was a great blow to the Continental Army and the North American public, and the morale of the Continental Army was in tatters, with shortages of supplies and desertions. At this time, the commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America, Hoau, slowed down the pace of pursuit of the Continental Army and ordered his troops to enter into winter combat deployment in December, mainly to establish bases. From New York to Burlington, New Jersey, several barracks, bases and outposts were built, and the soldiers prepared to spend the winter in warm houses. It was against this backdrop that Washington was given the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
After leading the Continental Army all the way back to Pennsylvania, Washington assembled his troops near the Delaware River, across from Trenton (now the capital of New Jersey), where the British’s most warlike Hessian mercenaries were stationed. The British relaxed their guard.
After careful consideration, Washington, the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, decided to take a risky step and cross the river on Christmas Day.
Washington’s decision to cross the river was communicated at a meeting of senior generals on December 23, but was not made known to the soldiers in order to maintain secrecy, and on the morning of December 25, the soldiers were ordered to prepare three days’ rations and bring enough ammunition. Before that, Washington had quietly prepared a number of boats for the river crossing, including large boats that could carry cannons as well as horses. It was Christmas Day, and the British did not expect the Continental Army to cross the river on this day.
Washington was the first to board the ferry that night and led his troops to cross the icy Delaware River quietly, reach the other side, establish a beachhead position, and then launch a surprise attack on the British in Trenton after dawn. The Hessian mercenaries, who had been busy enjoying holiday cheer and slumbering in their sleep, scrambled to resist, but were soon overwhelmed. In this battle, only two Continental soldiers were killed and six were wounded, while more than 900 Hessian mercenaries were captured (one said more than 1,000) and a large amount of arms and supplies were seized, and the Continental army won a great victory. After that, Washington led his army to cross the Delaware River three times, to maneuver with the British troops who came to reinforce him, and won again at Princeton, forcing the British to abandon a large number of positions in central and western New Jersey and retreat to the north.
The Continental Army’s victory in New Jersey was a great morale booster, especially for the Hessian mercenaries, who were captured alive and strong, reversing many people’s belief that the British were invincible. Washington’s night raid on the British army across the glacier is also considered one of the best examples in military history.
On December 25, 1776, Washington crossed the Delaware River and raided the British army, which eventually sealed the victory.
So has President Trump put his boat in the water and prepared to cross the Delaware River? The world is watching!
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