ng reputation, he was also a drunkard, not as intelligent as he should have been, and he looked down on the American leaders and army as country bumpkins. His arrogance and underestimation of the American troops led his to disregard orders to construct fortifications and to send out scouting parties. On Christmas night, 1776, he got drunk and had to be carried to bed (Boatner, 1966, p. 1112).
Washington was personally in charge of the effort to take Trenton and he had at his command about 2,400 veterans and 18 cannon. He planned to cross the Delaware river at McKonkeyÆs Ferry (now called WashingtonÆs Crossing) nine miles above Trenton and surprise the village from the north. General Ewing was to cross the Delaware at Trenton Ferry with 1,000 militia members and prevent a retreat by the British but he failed to do so. Colonel Cadwalader was to lead 2,000 men across the river and attack the garrison at Bordentown as a diversion. However, while he did manage to make the crossing, he could not land his artillery and he was too late to give the main attack against Trenton any real assistance (Boatner, 1966, p. 1112). Thus Washington and his men were very much on their own.
The river crossing was began in the afternoon of Dec. 25 and Washington and his troops succeeded despite swift currents, floating ice, bitter cold and a storm of wind, hail, rain and show û conditions tha
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