The General's Christmas

by C. Metzinger

  The deepening snow was now over their calves and nearly to their knees. It had been coming down swiftly all night, drifting into deep mounds by the tree lines. A small dim light began to define the shapes of trees nearby. Visibility was still extremely poor, but they marched with more heart now that they were seeing the hope of day.

  The ground here was relatively flat. Each one marched with the hope that there would be a warm fire and some food waiting for them after the battle, for no one doubted there would be a battle.

  At Pennington Road, they turned south toward Trenton. Once more the wind was at their backs and the marching seemed easier, although the storm did not show any signs of lessening. Washington rode back among the regiments, speaking to the officers and the soldiers.

  "Press on, men! It won't be much longer. Stay together and keep by your officers!"

  He drew up beside General Greene, who was coughing deeply and spitting in the snow.

  "Are you all right, General?" asked Washington.

  "Yes, sir. Just a bit of asthma…all this cold, wet weather bothers it. But it's nothing to worry about."

  "I'm glad to hear it. I would hate to see you miss out on the action. Send some of your men ahead to scout the area. Also set up road blocks here. Make sure no one gets in or out of town along this road between here and Princeton. Detain anyone who tries to pass until further notice. I still have hopes of making a surprise attack."

  "Yes, sir!" Greene replied and turned to the officers behind him, shouting,

  "Lieutenant Monroe! Captain William Washington!"

  The lieutenant and the general's nephew trotted to the front of the line. Parties of scouts were sent ahead on horseback and would report back immediately. Several officers ordered their men to set up the road blocks.

  The rest of the company continued along Pennington Road as the sky began to brighten. A heavy cloud cover and thick snow maintained a gloomy daybreak, but visibility was improving. Each time the wind decreased, it was followed by a thrashing of stronger blows, hurling ice and snow.

  Ten more minutes had passed before General Washington spotted a group of men on horseback riding towards them. Wondering if they were part of a Hessian scouting party or his own, he waited until they came closer. Finally seeing that they were from his own regiment, he trotted ahead to meet them.

  "General Washington!" one of the men exclaimed in surprise, "Captain George Wallis, sir!"

  Washington was puzzled, "Are you part of the scouting party?"

  "No, sir. We're just returning from Trenton."

  "Trenton!" Washington exclaimed, "Why were you there?"

  "Well, sir," Captain Wallis began proudly, "A few days ago, one of our men was in a boat going by Trenton and one of them Hessians shot him. Our Brigadier General Stephen wanted to teach them Hessians a lesson, so he sent us out to raid one of the outposts. We killed at least four, I think, and wounded almost a dozen more. They chased us, but we got clean away in this storm!"

  Washington's face turned beet red and his knuckles strangled the reins in his hands.

  "I gave no such order!" he shouted, "General Stephen should have informed me of this action! This completely ruins all my plans for a surprise attack! Now they're on their guard!"

  "Sir, I'm sorry, I was just obeying orders-" Captain Wallis began.

  "Yes! Yes, you did as you were told. I shall take this matter up with your commanding officer. Please go to him and tell him I want to see him immediately! And send General Greene as well."

  "Yes, sir!" Wallis replied and rode quickly along the column of marching men.

  Washington heaved a sigh of frustration. Another setback. Now the Hessians would be armed and ready to fight, perhaps even on this road. The advantage of surprise was now lost. His men would have to face a full scale attack against battle-ready troops. This realization dawned with disappointment, and he shook his head in dismay.

  The two riders pulled up beside him. Brigadier General Stephen asked,

  "You wanted to see me, sir?"

  "Did you send out a party to Trenton without informing me or making a request to take such an action?"

  Stephen's face darkened as he drew himself up.

  "Yes, sir! I joined the army to fight these devils! They killed one of my men, and I ain't letting them get away with that! We taught them a lesson!"

  "I have taken great pains to keep this march on Trenton as quiet as possible," raged Washington, "and you have sent out a party to announce our presence! Our advantage of surprise has been compromised, thanks to you!"

  Stephen sat up straight in his saddle and squinted his eyes defiantly. General Greene anxiously awaited the man's reply. They had clashed on prior occasions, and he expected a similar row.

  "I took action," Stephen rebutted, "Something this army should've been doin' long ago!"

  "But you are not the Commander in Chief! I am! And until you are Commander, you will follow my orders and you will take no actions without my permission! Is that understood?"

  Stephen screwed his face up against the wind and hesitated before delivering a sarcastic reply.

  "Understood.....Sir!"

  In defiance, Stephen hurled a spit of brown tobacco onto the snow beside Washington's horse.

  "That is all. You may rejoin your regiment," Washington replied. Stephen's mouth twisted angrily as he turned his horse and rode away.

  As he witnessed the scene, General Greene was worried. He had spent a great deal of time with Washington and had rarely seen him as angry as he was now.

  Greene ventured to ask, "Sir, if the outposts have been warned of our attack, what should we do?"

  Washington heaved a sigh of frustration and replied, "We press on, General. We just press on."

  Chapter 10

  The light of dawn was muted under heavy clouds and snow. As they marched, sharp winds tore through their clothes, and efforts to hide exposed skin were futile. The regiment made good time across the snowfield towards Trenton with only one delay, a wagon stuck in deep snow. Once it was freed, they marched on.

  Washington’s scouts returned. The leader wore a three-day old beard, and his tan buckskin jacket was white with snow.

  “The nearest outpost is just over this ridge, sir. The land slopes downward there. They won’t see us coming until we reach that ridge. Trenton is just beyond the outpost. Everything seems quiet down there.”

  “Then you saw no Hessian scouts riding about?”

  “No, sir. They must be indoors, staying out of this storm,” the scout confirmed.

  Washington nodded in satisfaction and turned to General Greene.

  “Tell Colonel Knox to bring the artillery forward for the attack. I’ll give the signal to advance.”

  “Yes, sir!” Greene replied enthusiastically.

  As he galloped away, Washington looked back at the men, and signaled the officers to prepare for battle. They rode among the men passing the word quietly as the heavy artillery was brought to the front. The soldiers loaded their weapons.

  When Washington deemed that everyone was in position and ready, he gave the signal to advance.

  “Perhaps you should wait here, General,” suggested General Greene, “Until we’ve secured the area.”

  Washington shook his head, “I’ve come this far with my regiment and I shall finish with them.”

  He started his horse and galloped across the wide expanse through blowing and drifting snow. As they moved across the snowfield, Washington looked back at his men. Whatever fatigue or infirmities they suffered on the march were now absent. Their faces showed determination, ready and eager to fight.

  He reached the end of the snowfield overlooking Trenton. A cooper’s shop and barn, now used as a Hessian outpost, lay covered in snow.

  Inside the cooper’s shop, a few of the Hessian guards warmed themselves by the fire. They had been out in the storm for several hours, looking for Stephen’s raiding party that had ridden off after wounding several men. They had chased them east,
lost sight of them in the storm, and then returned back to the outpost. They poured themselves cups of hot coffee. One man awoke when the others came in. He took his time getting dressed and pulling on his coat and boots. It was time to visit the outhouse.

  As soon as he opened the door, the bitter wind flung ice and snow in his face. He put his head down and pulled the door shut behind him. It was only a ten yards to the outhouse, but as he walked, he felt rather than heard, a low, muffled vibration. The rumble of horses’ hooves galloping in snow intensified. He looked up.

  A line of men on horseback crested over the ridge. The rider in front was a large man with a cloak billowing out behind him as he rode. Through thick snowfall, the Hessian began to see others, some on horses, and others on foot carrying long muskets with bayonets. He couldn’t tell who they were at first, but as the big rider came nearer, he recognized an American uniform.

  “Der fiend! Der fiend!” he shouted, running back to the outpost. He burst through the door, announcing the enemy.

  Everyone scrambled for their weapons at once. They took positions behind the cooper’s shop and opened fire.

  They soon realized that this was no small raiding party, but a full regiment. They fired and the Americans fired back. The regiment fanned out to surround the outpost, and the Hessians fell back, retreating behind nearby houses. They fired several shots but missed their running targets.

  A strangled cry erupted from one of the Hessian guards as he fell back, spurting crimson over the white snow. The Americans moved closer, shooting at will. Another Hessian went down before the others fell back again, running for the safety of the town.

  Washington told Colonel Knox to position his artillery at the top of the hill at the north end of Trenton, where King Street and Queen Street converged. As they positioned the artillery, he sent foot soldiers into the town. From the upstairs windows of abandoned houses, they had clear views of the street below.

  In the occupied houses, women grabbed their children and hid. Tory men took up their muskets to fight the enemy. A woman fired from her upstairs window.

  The American cannons exploded, and iron balls flew through the center of Trenton. A second cannon boomed from the west side of town and Washington realized that General Sullivan’s forces were attacking at the same time. He sighed with relief as a weight lifted from his shoulders. At least part of his plan was working, and he thanked God.

  The Hessians sounded the alarm. Church bells rang out in warning as Hessian soldiers rushed to Colonel Rall’s headquarters along Queen Street. They hastily tried to form a line, but American cannon boomed out, crashing into nearby buildings, and sending them in every direction.

  Colonel Knox shouted orders to the gun crews. One of the carriages on the cannons was shattered by enemy iron, rendering the gun useless. After seeing that the crewmen were not injured, Knox shouted, “There’s an enemy cannon right in the middle of town. Go take it!”

  “Come on, lads! Let’s go get it!” shouted the gun captain.

  Knox shouted for the infantry to provide cover for the men running towards the enemy. Soon, the Hessians were driven away from their cannon by heavy musket fire from both flanks. Knox’s gun crew chased them off and took control. After two attempts to light the fuse, they turned the gun around and fired at the Hessian troops.

  “How do you like this end of her?” they shouted at the Hessians. The crewmen laughed and reloaded the gun.

  The Hessian troops took a position farther back, but were fired upon by foot soldiers hiding among the houses. They managed to get a few rounds off before the crew at two of the field guns were shot down and the remaining men fled. Bodies flew into the air, landing on the ground, mingled with blood and mud.

  Colonel Rall came running out of his headquarters, shouting to his officers. They tried to assemble the troops, but the continuous bombardment scattered men everywhere.

  The Hessians finally managed to gather and began a march along the south side of Trenton, complete with marching music. In a straight firing line, the soldiers readied their muskets, took aim, and fired at the Americans. They were answered by several cannon balls and a multitude of muskets cracking all at once. The Hessians knew they were outnumbered.

  One of Rall’s lieutenants came running.

  “Colonel Rall, Sir! The enemy has surrounded the town!”

  Rall looked around past the buildings, now exploding, enveloped in smoke. He heard musket fire from the northeast and the west. Gun smoke poured from houses all along King and Queen Streets. Mortar screamed through the air, crashing into buildings, smashing glass windows and splintering wood.

  Rall shouted, "Attack the American flank!"

  The Hessians reformed but had to wait as the officers argued about which route to take.

  Meanwhile, more American regiments brought additional cannon and heavy weapons forward to join the assault. Heavy artillery continued to bombard the Hessians, killing men and horses. American infantry continued to advance, moving from house to house firing at Hessians in the streets.

  Another volley of fire from the Hessians spooked an American's horse. It reared upon its back legs, pawing the air, whinnying plaintively, and throwing its rider.

  A barrage of cannon balls blasted the Hessian regiment, killing and ravaging. Colonel Rall pulled his regiment back to the east, taking them to safety behind the English Church. There, two of his regiments reformed as the fighting continued in the center of town.

  “We’ll attack their flank!” Rall shouted, “Follow me!”

  He urged his horse forward and led the troops through an apple orchard, up a snow-covered road leading north. They would soon surprise the Americans from the east.

  As he sat mounted upon his horse with a spyglass to his eye, General Washington observed the progress of the battle. From his summit, Trenton lay before him like a map. He barely flinched as a cannon ball struck the ground nearby and musket fire exploded around him. Through his glass, he spotted movement to the left, between a row of houses on King St. The Hessians were advancing north around the outside of town, and he surmised their intent.

  “General Greene! Send a regiment to our left flank!”

  “Sir!” Greene responded and shouted orders to his officers. They quickly rushed to the east side of the town and set up positions upon the bluff overlooking the road to the orchard. When the Hessians came into range, they fired a torrent of musket balls. The Hessians stopped to return fire, but after several minutes of relentless assault, they fell back and retreated.

  Colonel Rall gradually reassembled his force once more, taking position along the Assunpink Creek at the south end of town. Americans were moving through the center of town, and would soon meet them. Rall decided to hold this position as long as they could. He sent a brigade to keep the Americans from taking the bridge, which would be their only route of escape.

  But when the brigade took positions at the Trenton end of the bridge, they found themselves facing Sullivan's New Englanders. Fighting fiercely, they pushed the Hessians back. The Hessians retreated along the creek, looking for another escape route, but one of their cannon carriages became stuck in the snow.

  Outnumbered, the Hessians fled, leaving their cannon behind. A few of the Americans chased them through freezing creek water. Colonel Rall ordered his men to keep firing. Suddenly, he was hit and thrown from his saddle.

  Soldiers rushed to his side. They carried him to a nearby church and laid him upon one of the pews.

  Outside, the Americans were advancing through the town, killing Hessians along the way as the enemy retreated.

  A group of Hessians gathered behind a house, discussing what to do.

  “Colonel Rall is wounded badly,” one officer reported, “And the Americans have surrounded the town. We are outnumbered!”

  “If we surrender, they’ll kill us!” one of the men argued.

  “If we surrender we may have a chance to live. But if we continue to fight, we will all be killed!”

&
nbsp; There was another round of cannon fire from the south where Sullivan’s men continued to push their way along the Assunpink Creek along the lower end of town.

  “We’re surrounded!” another soldier cried.

  They knew their fate was sealed and further resistance was futile.

  From the hilltop, Washington watched the Hessians gathering at the southern end of town. It appeared as if they were organizing for another attack.

  The storm continued to heap snow upon the town while musket fire tattooed like firecrackers. The Americans had now surrounded the Hessians. Corporal Baylor approached General Washington, awaiting the order to finish them off.

  “Captain Forrest, switch your ammunition from round shot to canister,” said Washington.

  Captain Forrest nodded and replied, “Yes, sir!”

  As Forrest turned to execute the order, he spotted something waving in the wind among the Hessians, and he stared in disbelief.

  “Sir! They’ve surrendered!” Forrest cried.

  Washington and Greene sat up straight in their saddles. Washington looked through his spyglass. The Hessian colors were lowering over headquarters, and soldiers were laying down their weapons. He lowered his spyglass, saying, “So they have, Captain. So they have.”

  Chapter 11

  There was general chaos at first, as groups of soldiers continued to fight. Eventually, the sound of musket fire diminished until only a spattering of shots could be heard. As word spread that the Hessians had submitted, the Americans began to cheer.

  "We won! My God, we won!"

  "We beat 'em! We beat those buggars!"

  After cheering boisterously, they rounded up the prisoners and their weapons. A few Hessian hats were also taken in the process, and some soldiers pranced around wearing them with huge grins. A few comedians ventured to imitate the German language and strut around like Hessians, initiating laughter. The Hessians huddled in silent fear of their fate.