George Washington crossed the Delaware River during the famous 1776 surprise attack at Trenton.
Washington led Continental Army troops across the river during the night of December 25–26, 1776. The army then marched to Trenton, New Jersey, where it attacked Hessian soldiers serving with the British forces. The victory helped restore American morale after a difficult series of defeats.
The crossing was dangerous because of darkness, strong currents, ice, and severe winter weather. Not all troops and equipment were able to cross as planned, but the force that reached New Jersey successfully attacked the Trenton garrison on December 26.
The event became especially famous through Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. The painting is an artistic interpretation rather than a literal record: its boat, passengers, and composition contain deliberate symbolic elements and do not precisely reproduce the historical crossing.