On which night did George Washington cross the Delaware River before the Battle of Trenton?

George Washington crossed the Delaware River on the night of December 25, 1776, before the Battle of Trenton.

Washington led Continental Army troops and their allies across the icy river from Pennsylvania into New Jersey. The operation began late on Christmas night and continued into the early morning of December 26, when the army marched toward Trenton.

At Trenton, American forces attacked Hessian troops serving Britain and won a significant victory. The victory helped restore morale after a series of defeats and encouraged soldiers to remain in the army. Washington then crossed the Delaware again after the battle.

The famous image of the crossing, painted by Emanuel Leutze in 1851, is a dramatic nineteenth-century interpretation rather than a literal record. The actual operation involved multiple planned crossings, although only Washington’s main force completed its crossing because weather and river conditions disrupted the others.