Stories tagged “American revolution”

  • A Bitter December

    We’re soldiers of the first Connecticut, and had followed Col. Huntington since that spring day in ’76 when we marched to Boston. We were on Dorchester Heights when the lobsterbacks finally left. We were at Long Island when they marched around ...

  • Entering Camp

    For four days we stayed on our side of the river, watching the Hessians on the far shore. When we had crossed we took every boat on a seventy mile stretch of the Delaware, and brought them over to our side. Then the orders came for us to march. Only on...

  • Preparations

    The weather was below freezing. Soon the Delaware would freeze over and the Hessian would be able to walk across. 1500 men, well armed, well fed, well supplied. We had fought against them on Long Island. They bayoneted those that had surrendered to the...

  • The Crossing

    We walked down the dock and climbed down into the boat. Six oarsmen sat at their stations and a man at the rear. Forty of us, trying not to rock the boat sat down, our muskets held between our legs. With a push we were away from the dock. And with each...

  • Bear Tavern

    We lay down, in the fresh snow, and waited near the shore for the orders to begin our march. The crossing was taking far longer than expected. From what I overheard the officers say, it should have been completed by midnight, but now it was nigh to 4 i...

  • Jacob's creek

    The road became muddier, but much more flat, and we had an easier time marching than on the climb uphill. We knew the delays thus far had cost us our chance to attack before dawn. We pressed on. A creek cut across the road and we had to scramble down i...

  • Birmingham crossroads

    The eastern sky grew bright and the snow stopped falling. Ahead, the road forked. An officer wearing a cloak, sat on a horse here, and greeted our colonel. “Col. Huntington, I’m Captain Webb, Gen. Washington’s aide de camp. The general gives his ...

  • Pennington Rd.

    The sleet and snow have stopped. The road has frozen hard beneath our feet. In the brisk chill of dawns light we finally can see where we can place our feet. We also see the bloody fooprints of those without shoes. Our drummers march at the head of our...

  • Captain Stephen

    The General sat straight in his saddle. His cloak cast over his shoulders, his hands holding the bridle. A lieutenant from the vanguard of the column came riding to him and saluted. “General Washington, sir. We have encountered an armed group of men,...

  • The Coopers shed

    It was nearly eight o’clock when General Washington reigned in his horse a mile outside of Trenton. By the side of the road, a man was chopping wood. He stopped chopping and looked at the tall man in uniform at the head of a column of troops that str...

  • First Blow

    Col. Hand’s men swiftly moved from marching column to line abreast in a motion that did credit to their practice on the parade ground. They fixed bayonets and loaded their muskets. The command came to advance. They were about half way to the shed...

  • Rolling them back

    The Hessians were falling back in good order. They would fire and recover, then retreat a few dozen yards, turn and repeat. Our men reached the coopers shed and kept on advancing. Soon a second group of Hessians sallied forth from the town and joined t...

  • Crossroads

    Below us on the hill, lay the whole of Trenton, between us and the river. Two broad streets rose from the river towards us, ending like the apex of an inverted “V” not more than two dozen yards apart. From our vantage point we saw more Hessians wer...

  • Battle line

    Though running at double timing had caused the column to string out a little, the transition to battle line took less than a minute. The officers stood to the front. Swords drawn, they stood with their arms outstretched directing where we would form th...

  • Volley fire

    Officers on horseback rode to the edge of the orchard and began to shout commands. Hessians ran to them and began to form into lines. Some missing coats or wigs. I heard one officer shouting “Wo ist mein Kannon.” Confusion and uncertainty about wha...

  • On the Firing Line

    “RECOVER” we brought our muskets to a ready position. The smoke of our volley floats away. “HANDLE CARTRIDGE”. Hands reached into our haversacks or cartridge boxes and withdrew a paper cylinder. Gripping the paper tail in our teeth we ripped op...

  • Bayonet Charge

    Three times a minute we fired, until we had no more dry powder. With the command “Charge Bayonet” we leveled our steel at our foes. “Advance” and we started to march. Our drums beat out a steady rhythmic cadance. Hessians were in small knots of...