George Washington won the Battle of Trenton after crossing the Delaware River during the Revolutionary era commemorated by America250.
Washington led Continental Army forces across the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776. At dawn on December 26, his troops attacked the garrison at Trenton, New Jersey, and captured about 900 Hessian soldiers.
The victory restored confidence after a series of American defeats and helped persuade soldiers to remain in the army. Washington followed it with another victory at Princeton on January 3, 1777, but the Delaware crossing is specifically associated with Trenton.
The famous crossing image often shows Washington standing dramatically in a small boat. Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting is an artistic interpretation rather than a literal eyewitness photograph, and the actual crossing involved many boats and difficult winter conditions.