George Washington crossed the Delaware River during the surprise operation that led to the Battle of Trenton in 1776.
Washington's Continental Army crossed during the night of December 25–26, 1776, moving from Pennsylvania into New Jersey. The operation was dangerous because of darkness, ice, sleet, snow, and strong currents. Washington personally directed the main crossing at McConkey's Ferry.
At dawn on December 26, the Continental forces attacked Hessian troops stationed at Trenton. The Americans captured the garrison and supplies, producing a major morale boost after a difficult series of defeats. Washington later crossed the river again as the campaign continued.
Emanuel Leutze's famous 1851 painting dramatizes the crossing, but it is not a literal photographic record. The real operation used large Durham boats and involved many soldiers, horses, artillery pieces, and support vessels. The event became one of the Revolutionary War's most recognizable episodes.