How George Washington Saved Christmas — and America
Our problems today are nothing compared to the horrors the country has faced.
The year 2008 will not go down as a banner year in American history. It has been, as Queen Elizabeth described 1992, the year of the Diana-Charles divorce, an “annus horribilis.” Financial implosions at home, upheavals abroad, and the specter of unemployment stalk too many families this holiday season.
But no matter how bad we think we have it — no matter how awful we think it can get — our problems are but a pittance compared to the horrors that were staring George Washington in the face during the Christmas season 202 years ago.
We all know the general outline of what happened that December 25-26 in 1776. Washington crossed the ice-choked Delaware River with his little army to attack the Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey. His victory was a shot in the arm to a flagging cause and helped assure American independence.
That’s the school book version, anyway. The full story is a little more problematic and a lot more frightening. In fact, there is every reason to believe that without Washington’s little excursions into the New Jersey countryside (not just once but again on January 3 at Princeton), the patriot cause would have died and the idea of an independent America would have been delayed — if not destroyed.
There has never been as bleak a Christmas in America as that awful early winter of 1776. The winter at Valley Forge the following year was rough but there was reason for hope; the Franco-American alliance was on the way and the tender ministrations and training of Baron Von Stueben was making the fiercely independent American soldier into a disciplined and effective weapon of war.
But no such hope was evident in the patriot ranks as they shivered in their makeshift camp on the Pennsylvania shore of the Delaware River. More than 90% of the army that had fought in New York the previous summer and fall had been killed, captured, or deserted what they believed was a lost cause. The Continentals had known nothing but defeat and disaster. Washington had been outmaneuvered, outflanked, and outgeneraled at every turn; Brooklyn Heights, Harlem Heights, White Plains, Forts Washington and Lee (where 3,000 Continentals surrendered instead of abandoning the indefensible forts) became a sad litany of failure for the American army.
The British commander, General Sir William Howe, took up the chase of Washington’s disintegrating army across most of New Jersey until early December when winter closed in and Howe decided to go back to the friendly confines of New York and partake of the distractions there. The Continental Army — hungry, cold, and demoralized — sat disconsolately in their camp awaiting the final blow from the British. But winter campaigning back then, while not unheard of, was still considered risky. Howe thought he knew the mettle of the men he was facing and determined that in six weeks there would be no army left to fight anyway.
It appeared the rest of the country felt that way as well. Patriots in New York and New Jersey took advantage of General Howe’s generous offer of a pardon and flocked to the British standard. Fearing capture, the Congress fled Philadelphia for Baltimore. They placed Washington in charge of both military and civilian affairs, thus making him a de facto military dictator. Not that there was anyone or anything to dictate to. Washington himself believed the cause was lost when he wrote his cousin in mid-December “I think the game is pretty near up.”
It may very well have been except for two things: Washington’s fierce determination to go on the offensive and the writings of a dour, New England leveler named Thomas Paine.
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Rick Moran is PJM Chicago editor; his own blog is Right Wing Nut House.
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30 Comments
1. TPitman:Not unlike the “surge” that turned the tide in Iraq, when the Congressional Democrats were calling the war lost. Not too many left with the grit of Petraeus and Washington.
Dec 26, 2008 - 4:18 am 2. Lee:Every year on Christmas day there is a reenactment of Washington Crossing the Delaware at Washington Crossing, PA. If you live in the area (Trenton, NJ or Yardley, PA) it is a must see at least once!
Dec 26, 2008 - 5:59 am 3. Phil Byler:This is why George Washington is rightly remembered as the Father of our country.
Do they still teach this in the schools?
Dec 26, 2008 - 6:28 am 4. Matthew:Somebody has been reading David McCullough’s 1776.
Dec 26, 2008 - 8:25 am 5. fear Obama:Seriously though, for a more complete version of this article, I can’t recommend that book highly enough. Along with John Adams, they form a great picture of the struggles and triumphs of the era.
Great true story- The truth told about men and women is greater than fiction.
Another true story a few years later.
George Washington’s finest moment of courage was when he had to confront his former comrades-in-arms.
His officers had not been paid for months.
They wanted mutiny and set up a new government.
They approached George Washington to take charge.
Washington responded,
Many of his comrades remembered how youthful he had been at the start of war, now he looked like a middle aged man with grey hair and false teeth.
Some of the officers had tears in their eyes and the others
ashamed went back to their barracks.
Later- After his term as president he said he was happy to go back to being a patriotic citizen. Didn’t spend his time in office asking for donations to get reelected.
It is hard to find such men in 2008
Dec 26, 2008 - 11:27 am 6. David Thomson:George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware was a desperate gamble. The odds were clearly against him. Thankfully, however, the Hessian general was so drunk that he ignored the warnings of his spies and allies. He literally pocketed, without reading, a note sent to him hours before the attack. By all rights, Washington’s troops should have been easily ambushed and slaughtered.
I am surprised that many Americans are unaware of this Christmas Day event that may have truly saved their newly born country. Last night I made a point of viewing Jeff Daniel playing the role of George Washington in “The Crossing.” This DVD can be purchased from Amazon.com for a few dollars. You might also wish to obtain a copy. School children should especially make a point of seeing this fine movie.
Dec 26, 2008 - 12:05 pm 7. DavidN:I recently read something about this event that I hadn’t known before, and I’m a pretty serious military historian. Christmas trees weren’t known in pre-Revolutionary America, or Britain for that matter. The practice is a German custom. The Hessians, in 1776 Trenton, erected a Christmas tree, and it was still there when the American army overran the town and captured the Hessians and their tree. Whether the practice of erecting the Christmas tree was adopted by Americans because of this, I don’t know; but it’s the apparently the earliest Christmas tree anyone has discovered record of, in America.
And yes, Washington’s attack at Trenton is one of the most successful, most improbably victories in military history. Few battles this small have had such large consequences.
Dec 26, 2008 - 12:50 pm 8. Chuck Pelto:TO: All
RE: Rick Moran vs. Reality
Yeah….
…King George III was always prepared to massacre ALL the people on New York City’s Manhattan Island with the press of a button. His nuclear arsenal was something to behold.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
Dec 26, 2008 - 1:14 pm 9. Rick Moran:P.S. We’re talking about REAL problems with ‘perspective’ in this Moranic thread.
Chucky:
Forgive me. The prospect of not having a country at all seemed important to me at the time.
I bow to your superior stupidity.
Dec 27, 2008 - 3:52 am 10. Merry Christmas « RockStarKevin:[...] But no matter how bad we think we have it — no matter how awful we think it can get — our proble… [...]
Dec 27, 2008 - 7:33 am 11. Chuck Pelto:TO: All
RE: As If….
….it couldn’t happen with US today.
With weapons of mass destruction in the hands of those who TRULY ‘hate’ US, Rick thinks that we could still have a ‘country’?
At least King George III would have allowed us to live.
Not quite with the current line-up of ‘enemies’.
And Rick thinks things are not as bad today as back then.
How VERY ‘odd’.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
P.S. I think his closing tag-line-esque comment is quite telling….
….of projection.
Dec 27, 2008 - 9:06 am 12. Minerva:After President Washington, downhill ever since.
Dec 27, 2008 - 10:14 am 13. Dave Surls:“Our problems today are nothing compared to the horrors the country has faced.”
I agree. For example, I suspect that a lot more Americans have been killed by Indian terrorists over the years than by Muslim terrorists.
And, what’s going on today is a tea party compared to our Civil War.
Dec 27, 2008 - 1:53 pm 14. Chuck Pelto:TO: Dave Surls
RE: True….
….for the time being.
Should we wait until they ‘catch up’?
Regards,
Chuck(le)
Dec 27, 2008 - 1:57 pm 15. Chuck Pelto:[An ounce of prevention is worth a pounding of cure. -- Benjamin Franklin (paraphrased)]
P.S. Dave….
…you may have misconscrewed the term used by Rick…
You’re thinking in past tense.
I’m thinking present tense.
Dec 27, 2008 - 2:46 pm 16. John Pangia:Always interesting to read the facts behind the facts.
Dec 27, 2008 - 3:48 pm 17. Dave Surls:“Should we wait until they ‘catch up’?”
Nope.
But, I do think Rick’s basic premise is correct. What’s going on now in regard to terrorism, or the mini-wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is small potatos compared to what we’ve dealt with in the past.
We’ve lost maybe 10,000 dead(?) to terrorism/counter-terrorism stuff over the last few decades. We lost 400,000 dead in just four years in WWII.
Let’s face it. We’ve been in much worse trouble in the past than we are now.
Dec 27, 2008 - 8:24 pm 18. Colin Glassey:Mr. Moran writes: “a dour, New England leveler named Thomas Paine”
Thomas Paine was (a) not a New Englander (he came to Philadelphia at the age of 37 in the year 1774) and (b) not a Leveler (as that short-lived version of Puritanism had disappeared from England long before Paine’s birth).
Mr. Moran should consider learning more about Mr. Paine before writing about him.
Dec 27, 2008 - 10:38 pm 19. Chuck Pelto:TO: Dave Surls
RE: Catch-Up
Good for you.
What do you propose we do about it?
RE: Moran’s Basic Premise
True.
But not what we ‘face’ today. As I attempted to point out, King George III, the leader of our enemy at the time of George Washington, never had the capability to kill millions in a heartbeat. He couldn’t even kill 3000 Americans in the matter of a couple of hours; think 9/11.
But our current enemies succeeded at doing the latter and are striving to get to the point of doing the former.
So I suggest that based on Moran’s poor understanding, he’s grossly mistaken about….
Dec 28, 2008 - 4:50 am 20. Dave Surls:“Bull puckie.”
No, it isn’t. If you think that what’s going on now is worse than what was going on during our Civli War, then you’ve taken leave of your senses.
Dec 28, 2008 - 11:29 am 21. Chuck Pelto:TO: Dave Surls
RE: Yeah?
Tell me that after a million or so are dead in NYC or some other metroplex.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
Dec 28, 2008 - 11:51 am 22. Chuck Pelto:P.S. THEN we’ll talk about who’s ‘taken leave of’ their ’senses’.
P.P.S. When was the last time YOU read through Catton’s account of the Civil War?
I did it, again, just this last year…..
Dec 28, 2008 - 11:53 am 23. Dave Surls:“Tell me that after a million or so are dead in NYC or some other metroplex.”
Well, if that happens, then I won’t be saying it any more, obviously.
“P.P.S. When was the last time YOU read through Catton’s account of the Civil War?”
It’s been several years since I’ve read the three volume Centennial history. IIRC, I last read it right around the time Bruce Catton died…so it was awhile back. I enjoy Catton’s prose, but I find him to be a little light on the details (at least in that particular work). I find volumes/series like “Battles and Leaders”, “Lee’s Lieutenants”, Foote’s narrative, Mark Boatner’s “A Civil War Dictionary”, Long’s “The Civil War Day by Day” to be more useful, because they cover the war and its various aspect in much greater depth.
I’d say that the Centennial History is a good place to start for budding Civil War scholars.
Dec 28, 2008 - 12:40 pm 24. Chuck Pelto:TO: Dave Surls
RE: Catton
Maybe you should try some of his other works. I mean other than the bicentennial set. Things like Grant Takes Command.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
Dec 28, 2008 - 3:29 pm 25. Donna V.:David Thomson wrote:
Thankfully, however, the Hessian general was so drunk that he ignored the warnings of his spies and allies
I had always been taught that the Hessians were drunk too; however, David Hackett Fischer’s book “Washington’s Crossing” says the story that the Hessians were drunk or hung over is a myth. They were as alert and professional as they always were, but the weather was so horrible that they did not believe the Americans would attempt to attack. The weather conditions and lack of visibility played a key role in Washington’s victory.
Dec 29, 2008 - 4:37 am 26. Roderick Reilly:Rick, you meant 242 years ago, NOT 202.
Dec 29, 2008 - 2:43 pm 27. Roderick Reilly:“”"”"”"David Thomson wrote:
Thankfully, however, the Hessian general was so drunk that he ignored the warnings of his spies and allies
I had always been taught that the Hessians were drunk too; however, David Hackett Fischer’s book “Washington’s Crossing” says the story that the Hessians were drunk or hung over is a myth. They were as alert and professional as they always were, but the weather was so horrible that they did not believe the Americans would attempt to attack. The weather conditions and lack of visibility played a key role in Washington’s victory.”"”"”"”
You are correct. Also, your version rightly polishes the reputation of Washington and his troops.
Dec 29, 2008 - 2:44 pm 28. Roderick Reilly:“”"”"”"”The plan came a cropper on Christmas night when two of the columns were unable to cross the ice choked Delaware River.”"”"”"”"
So, he had to “fight with the army he had.”
Hmmm . . . where did I hear that remark recently?
Dec 29, 2008 - 2:55 pm 29. Chuck Pelto:TO: Rick Moran, et al.
RE: Interesting
Remember our ‘discussion’ about military officers not required, by oath, to obey the president of the United States, nor the officers appointed over them?
Seems like that judge of the Gitmo detainee remembers his oath of office, having refused to order to stop the trial of the terrorist.
RE: Another ‘Indicator’?
Also, about my sense of ‘paranoia’, here’s another indicator that has just come to light….
Bill creates detention camps in U.S. for emergencies….
Sweeping, undefined purpose raises worries about military police state.
“Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., has introduced to the House of Representatives a new bill, H.R. 645, calling for the secretary of homeland security to establish no fewer than six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations.” — http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=87757
Enjoy,
Chuck(le)
Feb 2, 2009 - 5:58 am 30. Chuck Pelto:[If you're not paranoid, you're not paying attention.]
P.S. And NOW, the Blogfather reports that police want to be able to jam cell phone networks.
I’ve read Clancy’s Rainbow Six and I can see the potential benefit, but I’m wondering who will abuse the authority…..when, where, why and how. We’ve already seen the police try to suppress the ability of people to record their activities…..
Feb 2, 2009 - 10:52 am