What river did George Washington cross during his famous 1776 Christmas campaign?

George Washington crossed the Delaware River during his famous Christmas campaign in 1776. The Continental Army crossed from Pennsylvania into New Jersey during the night of December 25–26, 1776.

Washington’s force attacked the Hessian garrison at Trenton at dawn on December 26. The victory captured about 900 prisoners and improved American morale after a difficult series of defeats and retreats. Washington crossed the river again after the operation, returning to Pennsylvania with prisoners and captured supplies.

The crossing is remembered through Emanuel Leutze’s dramatic 1851 painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware. The painting is not a literal photographic record: it contains artistic details and shows Washington standing in a boat. The actual crossing involved multiple boats and dangerous winter conditions, including ice and strong currents.