George Washington crossed the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776, before attacking Hessian forces at Trenton.
Washington led Continental Army troops from Pennsylvania across the icy river in a dangerous operation conducted during a winter storm. The crossing was the first move in a larger surprise maneuver intended to strike the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey.
The attack succeeded on the morning of December 26. The Americans captured or killed many Hessian soldiers and seized military supplies, giving the struggling Continental Army an important morale boost. Washington later crossed the river again with prisoners and captured stores.
Emanuel Leutze’s famous 1851 painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware, helped make the episode one of the most recognizable images of the American Revolution. The painting is an artistic interpretation rather than a perfectly literal record: the boat, weather, and passengers differ from the historical crossing.