Battle of Trenton
December 25, 1776
Battle of Trenton
•
By the fall of 1776 Washington and his army had been defeated by
the British in New York and were forced to head south through New
Jersey to Pennsylvania.
•
The army was in miserable shape at this time and their spirits
were low.
•
Washington needed to do something quickly to motivate his troops.
•
Most of the soldier’s enlistments were due to expire by the end of
the year.
Battle of Trenton
•
On Christmas night,
Washington and his troops rowed
across the Delaware River into
New Jersey.
•
Once they made landfall they
marched to the city of Trenton.
•
Washington had learned that a
large camp of Hessians were
camped out in Trenton and would
likely be sleeping after their
Christmas celebrations.
•
What was unconventional (against
tradition) about Washington’s
decision to attack this night?
Battle of Trenton
•
Washington and his troops successfully surprised the Hessians.
•
More than 900 Hessians were captured during the battle.
•
Washington’s troops gained much needed supplies from their
victory.
•
A week later Washington and his troops won another victory in the
nearby city of Princeton.
•
With back to back wins for Washington, the moral of the army
increased and Washington proved that he was a better general
than many had thought.
•
As a result, the Continental Army began to attract new recruits.
Battles of Saratoga
September 19 – October 7, 1777
Battles of Saratoga
•
By 1777 the British began to
adjust their strategy for the war.
•
It was believed that all the
rebellion in the colonies was
focused in New England
 Connecticut
 Rhode Island
 New Hampshire
 Massachusetts
•
The British hoped to control the
Hudson River and cut off the
New England colonies from the
other states.
Battles of Saratoga
How would the help of France be
beneficial to the Continental Army?
•
The British strategy quickly
unfolded after a series of mishaps
and eventually the British
surrendered to American troops.
•
The victories at Saratoga were
considered to be a major turning
point in the war.
 The British were unable to
divide the colonies like they
hoped.
 European nations, specifically
France, began to believe the
Americans could win the war
and decided to help.