December 23, 2007

A Glorious Day for Our Country: On the Trail of America's First Christmas

Story & Photos by Richard Grant

It is forever Christmas at McKonkey's Ferry Inn. The dining room in this lovely tavern, located on the banks of the Delaware River, 42 miles upstream from Philadelphia, is always decorated exactly as it would have been on Christmas night, 1776, when George Washington had his dinner here.

As Washington dined, 2,400 of his men assembled outside along the riverbank. They were a rag tag army, dressed like scarecrows and huddled in blankets against the cold and spitting snow.

Their password for the evening told the story: "Victory or death." This night, Washington was to gamble his army on a desperate stroke- an all or nothing surprise attack on the enemy across the river in Trenton.

What happened in the next 24 hours changed the world.

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Today, the setting along the Delaware River is remarkably scenic and little has changed from the fateful night that shook the British Empire and saved a young nation. Many of the historic structures have been preserved. You can see the spot where Washington crossed the river and enter the two ferry houses he used as temporary command posts.

Nearby, you can examine replicas of the boats he commandeered for the crossing and march in the footsteps of his men on the old Continental road. Or you can switch sides and tour the barracks where some of the enemy German mercenary soldiers- called Hessians -- were quartered.

The natural starting point is Pennsylvania's Washington Crossing Historic Park, located 7 miles south of the pretty village of New Hope. A short film in the museum sets the stage.

1776 began well for the Americans in their struggle for freedom from Great Britain. Washington successfully forced the British from Boston and moved his army of 20,000 men to New York.

But then the Empire struck back.

In August, the largest armada the world had ever seen arrived off Long Island with a British army of 30,000 crack troops. They quickly routed Washington's smaller force and drove the rebels south through New Jersey. Marching in the retreat was journalist Thomas Paine, who summed up the situation, writing "These are the times that try men's souls."

When Washington's demoralized army reached the Delaware, he seized all the boats and retreated across, using the river as a temporary buffer. But the end was only a matter of time. Soon the river would freeze and the British could march over the ice. Congress fled from Philadelphia and even Washington confessed, "the game is pretty near up."

Crossing the Delaware

After watching the film, the highlight of the museum is a digitally reproduced, full-size copy of Emanuel Leutze's 1851 painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware. The original 12x21-foot masterpiece hangs in the Metropolitan in New York.

The painting's depiction of a stern, determined Washington, standing at the prow of a boat, leading an invasion of landing craft into an ice-choked river, is an American icon. Reproductions can be purchased in the gift shop on everything from kitchen magnets to mouse pads.

But from a military standpoint, the masterpiece has several mistakes. Most prominent is that Washington's crossing took place in pitch darkness with the commander probably seated in the back of a boat. For another, the river depicted in the painting is the Rhine.

You can see the real river and crossing point just outside the museum.

The only building here at the time was McKonkey's Ferry Inn, but today there is a picturesque small village of structures lining a tree-rimmed road. Most of the buildings date from the early 1800s and are part of the historic park, offering a look at life in early America. You can tour McKonkey's tavern and see the dining room where Washington had Christmas dinner.

At the Boat House, there are four reproductions of the Durham boats that were used in the crossing. Built to carry iron ore, the pitch black craft were 40 to 60 feet long and looked like long, thick canoes.

Washington's plan was to stop retreating and go on the offensive against a regiment of Hessians stationed across the river in Trenton. The timing was crucial. An aide wrote: "They make a great deal of Christmas in Germany, and no doubt the Hessians will drink a great deal of beer and have a dance. They will be sleepy tomorrow morning. Washington will set the tune for them about daybreak."

The Delaware today is a placid stream with hardly a current, but on Christmas night 1776 it was a hellish scene with swift swirling waters and huge cakes of floating ice. The boats were manned by a regiment of fishermen from Marblehead, Mass., but it took these expert small boat handlers nine hours to ferry the 200 horses, 18 cannons and 2,400 men across the icy current.

Fortunately, it's much easier to cross the Delaware today. Leave your car on the Pennsylvania side and walk across a narrow 1933 steel bridge to New Jersey. There are pretty views of the river along the way, giving you time to think about the men in the boats below.

As Thomas Paine had written, the "summer solider and sunshine patriot" had long ago deserted. But the men who were left were special. Among the men crossing the Delaware were James Monroe, who would become the fourth U.S. president; Alexander Hamilton, who become the first Secretary of the Treasury; and John Marshall, who would become a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

On the other side of the river, you enter New Jersey's Washington Crossing State Park. In 1776, there were dueling ferries here; today there are dueling state parks. Use the pedestrian overpass to walk to the Johnson Ferry House, which Washington's staff used as a command post.

The pretty fieldstone house is furnished with colonial items to interpret the ferry keeper's family residence. One of Washington's aides recorded the scene in his diary. "Dec. 26, 3 a.m. I am writing in the ferry house...I (have) never seen Washington so determined as he is now. He stands on the bank of the river, wrapped in his cloak, superintending the landing of his troops....The storm is changing to sleet, and cuts like a knife. The last cannon is being landed, and we are ready to mount our horses."

You can follow in their footsteps on a short stretch of the old Continental lane, which today is a shallow grass depression between rows of trees that runs for a quarter mile to the Visitor Center. Many of Washington's men had no shoes as they marched down this road and wrapped rags around their feet. A Major Wilkinson remembered that the snow "was tinged here and there with blood from the feet of the men who wore broken shoes."

At the Visitor Center, there is an excellent museum with exhibits, maps, paintings and artifacts that trace the retreat through New Jersey and the coming battle.

It's about a half mile walk back to your car in Pennsylvania and then a nine mile drive to Trenton.

The Attack on Trenton

Not much of colonial Trenton has survived. It is a modern, confusing and not particularly attractive city, but there are two stops connected to the battle worth a visit.

The first, Trenton Battle Monument, marks the spot where the battle began. The 148-foot high column opened in 1893 and has an elevator to an observation deck with panoramic views.

The Hessian commander, Johann Rall, ignored threats of an American attack and stayed up all Christmas night playing cards and drinking. In the gloomy morning, the Americans advanced to the edge of town before the Hessian guard saw them. With cries of "Der Fiend!"--"the enemy"- the guard tried to alert their men. It was too late.

Washington placed his artillery at the head of Trenton's narrow streets, where they could fire canister -- tins filled with musket balls that exploded from the cannon barrel like a giant shotgun, sweeping everything in their path.

As the dazed Hessians poured out of their barracks, they were cut down by cannon fire. Rall ordered a retreat to an orchard and tried to make a stand, but Washington's men surrounded them. When Rall was mortally wounded, the fight went out of the Germans and they surrendered.

At the other end of Trenton, is the Old Barracks Museum. Built in 1758, the stone barracks had originally been used to house troops during the French and Indian War. When the Hessians came, they used the barracks for their camp followers- the women and wives who have tagged along behind every army since time began.

Today, the museum uses living history to depict the barracks after the battle, when they were inhabited by American troops. Oriented toward children, the museum features costumed guides who give musket firing demonstrations and offer tours that show how brutal and hard life was in an 18^th Century army, where there were far more casualties from sickness and disease than from battle.

Trenton was a good example. The battle lasted less than an hour. Ninety Hessians were killed or wounded and more than 900 were taken prisoner; the American casualties were two men wounded. 

After the fight, an uncharacteristically beaming Washington rode up to Major Wilkinson, grabbed his hand and said, "This is a glorious day for our country."

And it was. From a military standpoint, Trenton was a minor raid. There were still five long years of war ahead. But psychologically, it was a turning point. Never again would American spirits or prospects sink so low.

IF YOU GO:

Best Book: The current bestseller 1776 by David McCullough tells the dramatic story of Washington's retreat from New York and the attack on Trenton.

Washington Crossing Historic Park, Washington Crossing, PA. Located on Route 32, seven miles south of New Hope. The park is free to explore; for a small admission fee, there are tours of nine buildings including McKonkey's Ferry Inn. Monuments indicate the spots where the troops crossed the Delaware and there are stunning views of the river. Admission includes tours of the Thompson-Neely House, which dates back to 1702 and was used as a field hospital and staff headquarters before the attack. Also included in admission is an elevator ride up the 110-foot Bowman's Hill Tower, which offers panoramic views of the Delaware River Valley. Adults $4.00; Children: $2.00. Open Tues.-Sat., 9am to 5pm; Sun. noon-5pm. (215) 493-4076.www.spiritof76.net

Washington Crossing Inn, Washington Crossing, PA. Across the street from the park, this historic inn is a wonderful place for a lunch stop. Part of the building dates to 1817. It is decorated throughout with fireplaces, paintings of Washington and momentos from the battle. They also offer an elaborate Sunday brunch. Reservations recommended.(215) 493-3634.Tues.-Sun.; Sun. brunch 10am to 2pm.

Washington Crossing State Park, New Jersey. The park is free and is primarily a 991-acre natural area. Of historic interest are tours of the Johnson Ferry House and historic markers along the riverbank. The museum in the Visitor Center has the best overview of the retreat, the crossing and the battle and also houses the Swan Historical Foundation Collection of 600 artifacts from the Revolutionary War, including military items used by both sides. The Museum and the Ferry House are open Wed. to Sun.(609) 737-9303.

Trenton Battle Monument, intersection of Broad Street (Rt. 206) and Pennington Rd.(Rt. 31), Trenton.Free elevator ride to the top of the 148-foot high column, which is decorated with statues of Washington and his troops.The view from the top is worth the effort of finding it.Open only Sat. 10am-12noon and 1pm-4pm; Sun. 1-4pm.

Old Barracks Museum, Barrack Street, Trenton Best for children, the museum gives living history tours with an emphasis on what camp life was like for soldiers in the American Revolution. Kids are "enlisted" in the army and giving some 18^th Century drill instructions and a medical exam to make sure they have front teeth – a requirement in 1776 when soldiers had to rip musket cartridges open with their mouth. (609) 396-1776. Adults $6; Children $3. www.barracks.org.