Which river did George Washington cross during his Christmas 1776 attack on Trenton?

George Washington crossed the Delaware River during his Christmas 1776 attack on Trenton.

On the night of December 25–26, 1776, Washington led Continental Army troops from Pennsylvania across the ice-filled Delaware River into New Jersey. The dangerous crossing was the first part of a surprise maneuver against Hessian troops stationed at Trenton. The attack began on the morning of December 26.

The victory was strategically limited but psychologically important. The Continental Army captured prisoners, weapons, and supplies, helping restore morale after a series of defeats around New York and New Jersey. Washington followed the success with another victory at Princeton in January 1777.

The operation is often remembered through Emanuel Leutze’s dramatic 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. That image is a romanticized representation rather than a precise record: the actual crossing used large Durham boats, and the weather and conditions were harsher than the painting suggests.