Which event on December 25–26, 1776, preceded the Continental Army’s victory at Trenton?

Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on December 25–26, 1776, preceded the Continental Army’s victory at Trenton.

George Washington led troops across the icy Delaware River from Pennsylvania into New Jersey during the night of December 25. The army then marched toward Trenton, where Hessian troops serving Britain were stationed. The operation took place during a dangerous period for the Patriot cause.

The Continental Army had suffered defeats and many enlistments were about to expire. Washington hoped a surprise attack would raise morale and encourage soldiers to remain in service. The assault began at Trenton on the morning of December 26 and produced a decisive American victory.

The crossing is often remembered through Emanuel Leutze’s dramatic 1851 painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware. That artwork is symbolic rather than a precise visual record: its boat, weather, and passenger arrangement do not reproduce every historical detail of the actual crossing.