It was just summer, with sunshine and pleasant temperatures, and now Christmas is just around the corner. The first shops have already put up Christmas trees next to their Halloween decorations and Christmas chocolate lines the shelves in the supermarkets.
So, it's exactly the right time to think about a winter or Christmas scenario, after all, Christmas comes quicker than you think every year and if you want to order the right figures, you have to hurry. Because the delivery of WoFun miniatures usually takes longer than the assembly and if you want to build the right terrain, it's really about time.
But which winter scenario should it be? Napoleon in Russia? Or Ellington's retreat from Afghanistan? Both are depressing stories, of course with exciting possibilities but still depressing. How about a battle with a positive background? Something epic? Something heroic that leads to a great victory without tiring retreats?
How about the Battle of Trenton? That's fitting. It is December 26, 1776, Boxing Day. It is bitterly cold and the snow is deep. And yet it is the day that gives the young American nation hope for a happy outcome to its fight for independence.
The time before the battle was marked by one defeat after another and the morale of the Continental forces was at its lowest point, but this was about to change suddenly.
The Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776, the first major battle of the war and the largest battle fought on American soil until the beginning of the American Civil War, was a long time ago. But the trauma of the catastrophic defeat weighed heavily on the Americans. The Continental Army was forced to withdraw from its positions in New York after it and spent the rest of the year trying to survive. Even George Washington, as commander-in-chief, doubted the possibility of victory, as his army lacked everything: transportation, food, clothing and weapons.
In addition, there was a glaring lack of qualified and experienced officers, so that George Washington was often barely able to convey orders or rely on their execution.
American Militia
The majority of his troops were inexperienced and mostly undisciplined, facing a well-trained British professional army, supported by equally professional "Hessian" mercenaries. The fact that there were Hessian soldiers on the British side is largely due to the soldier trade under Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel, who leased around 12,000 well-trained Hessian soldiers to the English King George III on the basis of a subsidy contract. Other German principalities also participated in this lucrative trade, such as Hesse-Hanau, Ansbach-Bayreuth and Anhalt-Zerbst, although Hesse-Kassel provided the majority of the troops sent. In total, an estimated 30,000 German soldiers were hired by Great Britain in this way between 1776 and 1783 for its fight in the colonies. These German mercenaries were simplified in common parlance and referred to as Hessians.
Hessian Grenadiers
In the winter of 1776, three of these regiments (the Fusilier Regiment Heinrich August v. Loßberg, the Regiment of Wilhelm v. Knyphausen and the Regiment Johann Gottlieb Rall) with around 1,400 soldiers were in their winter quarters in the small town of Trenton on the Delaware River under the command of Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall (1725-1776), a long-serving professional soldier who had seen many battles.
Colonel Rall had been recruited for service in America on the condition that, in the event of his death, Landgrave Friedrich II would pay his debts and support his wife and children. This shows that the 50-year-old veteran officer was well aware of the dangers of military service. Nevertheless, Rall underestimated his opponent and believed himself to be so safe that he did not have extensive entrenchment work carried out in Trenton. In addition, no patrols were sent out to reconnoitre the enemy the day before the attack because the weather was very bad and a snowstorm obscured visibility. The Hessian regiments also celebrated Christmas, which often gives rise to the assumption that the operational capability of the Hessian troops was limited by excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, but this can be questioned given the strict discipline of the Hessian troops. Although it can be assumed that the majority of the troops were sober and ready for action, this does not necessarily apply to the commanding officers, because Colonel Rall, for example, was only woken up by his subordinates during the course of the battle.
But let's get to the actual battle. Washington lay on the opposite bank of the frozen Delaware. In the middle of the night, Washington ordered his force of 2,400 men to split into three parts and cross the half-frozen Delaware River, transporting men, horses and small artillery across the river in boats. Despite the adverse conditions, they managed to do so without any major problems, which later served as the inspiration for one of the most famous paintings in American history: Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze. However, the heroic message of the painting is more important in this picture, as its historical accuracy, like the subsequent victory at Trenton, was more morally significant than militarily.
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Image source: Wikipedia.com
What looks so simple in the picture turned out to be more difficult in reality, the Delaware was half frozen and large floes of ice were floating on it. In addition, the bad weather conditions, heavy snowfall, delayed the landing in New Jersey, which was supposed to have been completed by midnight, until 3:00 a.m., and Washington learned that an attack before dawn could no longer take place.
Over the next four and a half hours, the American troops marched to Trenton. The soldiers were poorly equipped, many had no boots and had to make do with rags wrapped around their feet. The bloody feet of many soldiers turned the snow dark red. Two men froze to death during the march and were the only casualties the American side suffered.
But let's first get to the actual battle. The Hessians had set up a small guard post in Pennington about nine miles (14 km) north of Trenton and east of the American route. When the guards saw the American marching formation, the commanding officer, Lieutenant Wiederhold, ordered a retreat to Trenton, whereupon other guards joined in, thus freeing up the River Road, through which the American units under General John Sullivan could enter Trenton unhindered. As a result of his advance, Sullivan occupied the crossing to Assunpink Creek, the only southern escape route for the Hessians from Trenton.
Plan of the Battle of Trenton, 1776 Foto: Andreas Wiederholdt
The Hessian regiments took a long time to form up. As already mentioned, Colonel Rall was only woken up by his adjutant, Lieutenant Biel, when fighting was already underway in the town and American units had already taken the rampart on King and Queen Street and positioned two cannons. From this position they could control all of the main exits to the town. The Hessians now tried to position four cannons, but this was prevented by persistent enemy fire.
The remaining American units then surrounded the town in order to encircle the Hessians who were still fighting.
The Knyphausen Regiment was separated from the other two regiments during the fighting and pushed south by Sullivan's troops. The other two Hessian regiments, von Loßberg and Rall, retreated to the open field east of the town and attempted a counterattack, which was immediately repulsed. Colonel Rall then ordered his soldiers to retreat southeast to an orchard outside Trenton. From there, under enemy fire, Rall attempted another counterattack to regain possession of the city and, if possible, escape to Princeton. The attack was initially successful, but the Hessian soldiers in the streets of Trenton came under cannon fire and also under isolated infantry fire from American civilians in the surrounding houses.
During this advance, Colonel Rall was seriously wounded, whereupon the Hessian soldiers retreated back to the plantation, where they were subsequently surrounded by the American units and forced to surrender.
The rest of the von Knyphausen Regiment tried to escape to Bordentown. But because the unit wanted to carry its cannons over swampy ground, its progress was slowed. Their escape route was blocked by Sullivan's units, and the refugees were forced to surrender.
This ended the battle. On the Hessian side, 25 soldiers were killed, including all four commanding colonels. Colonel Johann Rall succumbed to his serious injuries in his headquarters a few hours after the battle. 90 Hessians were wounded and a total of 920 were taken prisoner. The von Loßberg Regiment was
wiped out and only a small part of the Knyphausen Regiment managed to escape. The regimental flags and six guns were captured by Washington. According to one report, 15 flags from the three defeated Hessian regiments (Rall, von Loßberg, von Knyphausen) were lost.
The losses on the American side were negligible. There were two dead, who had died of hypothermia on the march to Trenton, and four wounded. Two of them were prominent officers: Captain William Washington, the cousin of the commander-in-chief, and the young Lieutenant James Monroe, who later became President of the United States. However, 1,000 American soldiers reported sick the day after the battle due to hypothermia.
This victory over the Hessians, known for their fighting strength, boosted the morale of the American soldiers extraordinarily, as it was the first time they had managed to overcome regular European units, which had rushed from victory to victory in the months before.
I hope you enjoyed this little report. A battle with few casualties and overwhelming success under adverse conditions. Perhaps one or the other would like to re-enact the battle in a small scenario. I would be happy to see pictures in the WoFun
Supporter Group on Facebook
See you soon
Yours, Martin