12. George Washington’s New Jersey Campaign was saved by changing weather
George Washington’s daring strike at the Hessian outpost in Trenton, New Jersey was a masterstroke of surprise. It was only part of a plan which included other attacks in New Jersey, which failed to materialize on the night of December 25-26, 1776. Another force, under John Cadwalader, was to have struck a garrison at Bordentown, but it failed to get across the Delaware River. Sleet, snow, and ice floes in the river prevented his movement. Following Washington’s victory, the Americans withdrew into Pennsylvania. When Cadwalader moved into New Jersey at the end of the year, Washington moved south of Trenton to consolidate his position. Meanwhile, the weather moderated, and the roads turned to mud.
When British troops under Cornwallis arrived at Trenton, Washington was placed in a dangerous position. The British were confident their enemy was trapped, and planned to attack the next day, January 3, 1777. George Washington was a farmer, as such, he was an astute judge of the weather. His weather eye told him that the temperature would drop, freezing the roads and allowing his army to move. He was right and using roads unknown to the British, his army moved toward Princeton that night. When Cornwallis prepared to attack in the morning, the Americans were gone, their whereabouts unknown until they heard of the fighting at Princeton, another American victory. The freezing weather gave Washington the opportunity to deliver another humiliating defeat on the British.
