Which battle followed George Washington’s 1776 crossing of the Delaware River?

The Battle of Trenton followed George Washington’s 1776 crossing of the Delaware River.

Washington led Continental Army troops across the river during the night of December 25–26, 1776. The dangerous crossing involved ice, sleet, snow, darkness, and delays in moving artillery. The army then marched toward Trenton, New Jersey, where Hessian troops were stationed.

On the morning of December 26, Washington’s forces attacked the Hessian garrison under Colonel Johann Rall. The Continental victory restored confidence after a difficult period of defeats and helped preserve the American army during the Revolutionary War.

The crossing is often remembered as a single dramatic event, but Washington’s broader plan involved three crossings. The main crossing succeeded, while other supporting crossings were abandoned or ineffective. After Trenton, the army crossed the Delaware again and later won at Princeton, extending the campaign’s impact.