George Washington crossed the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776, in a Revolutionary War episode remembered during America250. The crossing was part of a surprise operation against Hessian troops at Trenton, New Jersey.
Washington’s Continental Army crossed from Pennsylvania toward New Jersey in difficult winter conditions. The maneuver led to the American victory at the Battle of Trenton on December 26. That success helped restore morale after a series of defeats and encouraged enlistments in the Continental Army.
The famous image of Washington standing in a boat comes from Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware. The painting is dramatic and historically stylized, but the river and the military operation were real. Washington’s Crossing is now associated with state historic parks on both sides of the Delaware River.