It will be remembered that when the British army approached Philadelphia, Congress had considered it prudent to retire to Baltimore. Despite the success of the British, Congress still manifested unshaken faith in the ultimate outcome and resolved upon active measures in behalf of the cause of liberty. One of the most important steps upon which they decided would probably never have taken place, had not Washington been in command of the army. Washington was well

aware that the numerous reverses experienced by the Continental army had taught Congress that greater vigor and efficiency must be infused into the military system, or otherwise the colonial cause must be hopeless. On December 20, therefore, he addressed a letter to the President of Congress in which he urged that his views be adopted. He said:

"My feelings as an officer and a man have been such as to force me to say, that no person ever

We

had a greater choice of difficulties to contend with than I have. It is needless to add, that short enlistments, and a mistaken dependence upon militia, have been the origin of all our misfortunes, and the great accumulation of our debt. find, Sir, that the enemy are daily gathering strength from the disaffected. This strength, like a snowball, by rolling, will increase, unless some can be devised to check effectually the progress of the enemy's arms. Militia may pos sibly do it for a little while; but in a little while,

means

also, and the militia of those States, which have

been frequently called upon, will not turn out at all; or, if they do, it will be with so much reluctance and sloth, as to amount to the same thing. Instance New Jersey! Witness Pennsylvania! Could any thing but the river Delaware have saved Philadelphia? Can any thing (the exigency of the case may indeed justify it), be more destructive to the recruiting service than giving ten dollars' bounty for six weeks' service of the militia, who come in, you cannot tell how, go, you cannot tell when, and act, you cannot tell where, consume your provisions, exhaust your stores, and leave you at a critical moment? These, Sir, are the men I am to depend upon ten days hence; this is the basis on which your cause will and must forever depend, till you get a large standing army sufficient of itself to oppose the enemy."

He said also that the 88 battalions, which had already been ordered by *Sparks, Life of Washington, pp. 206-207.

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This letter deeply impressed the members of Congress, and they promptly met the emergency. On December 27 it was resolved that unlimited powers be placed in Washington's hands. Declaring that "the unjust, but determined purpose of the British court to enslave these free states, obvious through every insinuation to the contrary, having placed things in such a situation, that the very existence of civil liberty, now depends on the right exercise of military powers; and the vigorous and decisive conduct of these being impossible to distant, numerous, and deliberate bodies," Congress passed the following resolution:†

"That General Washington shall be, and he is hereby, vested with full, ample, and complete powers to raise and collect together, in the most speedy and effectual manner, from any and all of these United States, sixteen battalions of infantry, in addition to those already voted by Congress; to appoint officers for the said battalions of

*

Sparks' ed. of Washington's Writings, vol. iv., p. 232; ibid, Life of Washington, p. 207; Lodge, George Washington, vol. i., p. 174.

Journals of Congress, vol. ii., p. 475. This resolution was adopted December 27 before Congress had heard of the battle of Trenton, which occurred on the 25th.-Stryker, Battles of Trenton and Princeton, pp. 243-244; Force, American Archives, 5th series, vol. iii., p. 1613.

infantry; to raise, officer, and equip three thousand light horse, three regiments of artillery, and a corps of engineers, and to establish their pay; to apply to any of the states for such aid of the militia, as he shall judge necessary; to form such magazines of provisions, and in such places as he shall think proper; to displace and appoint all officers under the rank of brigadier-general, and to fill all vacancies in every other department of the American armies; to take, wherever he may be, whatever he may want for the use of the army, if the inhabitants will not sell it, allowing a reasonable price for the same; to arrest and confine persons who refuse to take the continental currency, or are any otherwise disaffected to the American cause; and return to the states, of which they are citizens, their names and the nature of their offences, together with the witnesses to prove them."

These powers were entrusted to Washington for a a period of six months, unless Congress should revoke them prior to that time. When acknowledging these resolves, Washington assured Congress that he would employ his best endeavors to properly direct the powers which had been bestowed upon him, and to advance those objects and those only, which had given rise to so honorable a distinction. He said:

"If my exertions should not be attended with the desired success, I trust the failure will be imputed to the true cause - the peculiarly distressed situation of our affairs, and the difficulties I have to combat,- rather than to a want of zeal for my country, and the closest attention to her interests, to promote which has ever been my study." †

At this time, the condition of affairs was extremely alarming, and it was of great importance that some blow

* See also Carrington, Battles of the Revolution, p. 280; Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. ii., pp. 24-25.

Sparks' ed. of Washington's Writings, vol. iv., pp. 252, 552.

should be struck to revive the spirit of the country, which had been greatly depressed because of the retreat retreat through Jersey. When Washington crossed the Delaware, winter was fast approaching, and the British general had not planned to carry on military operations during the winter. The British had constantly driven the Americans before them without loss on their part, and it was now confi. dently expected that it would be possible to completely annihilate the American army by a short and decisive campaign in the spring. Consequently, fearing little from the feeble American army, Howe cantoned his troops rather with the view to the convenient resumption of their march in the spring than with any regard to securing their present safety. He had not the slightest apprehension that an attack would be made, and established his posts with little regard as to whether they would be able to render mutual support to each other.

A body of about 1,500 Hessians had been stationed at Trenton under Colonel Rall,* and 2,000 at Bordentown, further down the river, under Count Donop, while the remainder of the army was scattered over the country between the Hackensack and the Delaware. Because of his overpowering

This is also spelled Rohl, Roll, Ralle, Rhalle, Rhal, Rawle, but Rall is undoubtedly correct. See the notes in Carrington, Battles of the Revolution, p. 277; Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. ii., p. 20.

Lowell, Hessians in the Revolution, p. 87. On the measures taken to defend themselves, see Tre

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force, Howe had no reason to suspect that the Americans would make an attack, and the idea that Washington would undertake any offensive measures never entered Howe's mind.* Washington, however, determined to anticipate Howe's movements and to strike a blow which would demonstrate to the enemy that the strictest military discipline must be maintained, if Howe wished to retain his army intact. He also wished to show that the cause of independence was by no means hopeless.† In pursuance of his plan, Washington formed his army into three divisions, and, accompanied by Greene, Sullivan, and Henry Knox with the artillery, he proposed to cross the Delaware at McConkey's Ferry, nine miles above Trenton, and fall upon the Hessians stationed at that town. A second division under General James Ewing‡ was to cross at Trenton ferry and cut off the enemy's

velyan, American Revolution, vol. iii., p. 55 et

seq.

According to the journals of two Hessian lieutenants, there was more bustle than business at Trenton. The men were put through all sorts of maneuvers, apparently without cause or purpose. These officers state that Rall was a boon companion, kept late hours at night and slept until late in the morning, having little respect for his military duties. See Irving, Life of Washington, vol. ii., p. 504 et seq.

See the letter quoted in Carrington, Battles of the Revolution, pp. 267-268; and the instructions in Brooks, Life of Knox, p. 78.

The name of this officer is spelled differently by several writers. Marshall and Lossing spell it Irvine; Washington himself gives it as Ewing; Wilkinson has it Irvin; Botta, Irwin; and Gordon, Erwing. Washington certainly ought to have known the proper spelling of the names of his generals, and we have followed him.