There's an old saying in military circles about the U.S. Army, in the form of a quote: "We will cross a frozen river, at night, to kill you in your sleep — on Christmas morning. We've done it before." That saying refers to the American Revolution Battle of Trenton, only months after the Declaration of Independence when General Washington led his men across the frozen Delaware River to attack Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey. This battle, this victory, gave hope to an infant republic that was still struggling to survive.

Partisan politics reigned, inflation soared, and the country was deeply divided. You may think this is America in 2023, but this was the United States in December 1776. In one of the darkest periods in American history, the economy was in ruins, and Washington’s army had lost one battle after another.

The mood of the six-month-old country had deteriorated from optimism to defeat. But on Christmas Day, amid a raging Nor’easter, a small group of soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts, conveyed Washington’s army across an impassable, ice-filled river, changing the course of history.

Washington's troops were in miserable condition on this cold December night. Many of them didn't have shoes, and the trail they left on the march was marked with blood seeping through makeshift wrappings on frozen feet. Enlistments were on the point of running out. Rations were running low, and forage was non-existent. Men were beginning to desert. General Washington realized that the newborn Republic needed a victory to boost morale and strengthen the resolve not only of his troops but of the new nation. The general who was to become the father of our country delivered. //

It's impossible to overstate the importance of this battle. While small when viewed against modern warfare, both in scale and scope, it was nevertheless seminal. General Washington gave the country a victory it sorely needed, which did wonders for the mood of the new republic at a time when good news was sorely needed.