Page "Battle of Princeton" Paragraph 4

On the night of December 25 – 26, 1776 General George Washington, Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, led 2, 400 men across the Delaware River.

After a nine mile march, they seized the town of Trenton on the morning of the 26th, killing or wounding over 100 Hessians and capturing 900 more.

Soon after capturing the town, Washington led the army back across the Delaware into Pennsylvania.

On the 29th, Washington once again led the army across the river, and established a defensive position at Trenton.

On the 31st, Washington appealed to his men, whose enlistments expired at the end of the year, " Stay for just six more weeks for an extra bounty of ten dollars.

" His appeal worked, and most of the men agreed to stay.

Also, that day, Washington learned that Congress had voted to give him wide-ranging powers for six months that are often described as dictatorial.