The American Revolution and its ultimate victory was hinged on a pivotal time in history, Christmas 1776, and it was all due to George Washington…
This Christmas, remember this lesson from history when Patriot George Washington gave the greatest Christmas present to the United States. The gift of hope. The gift of victory. The gift of America.
The Continental Army and the American Revolution was all but over in December 1776 and on the American side, despair and hopelessness were the order of the day.. The United States of America was finished.
It appeared that New York and New Jersey would be firmly back under King George’s “protection” within just a few months. They had already humiliated the Continentals out of New York, inflicting heavy damage on Washington’s army. The Continental Army was disintegrating. Unpaid, ill-equipped, cold, and hungry, soldiers in the Continental Army were deserting or walking away as soon as their enlistments expired.
There was no reason for the British to mess up their Christmas in 1776. Everything was going their way.
In those days, it was customary that armies rest and refit in the winter months in preparation for the campaign seasons of spring and summer. And the British were all about custom and tradition.
The situation was worse than grim for the Americans and the cause was all but over. Except for one man, that is – a man who refused to give up. George Washington.
In spite of countless setbacks and up against incredible odds, Washington never threw in the towel. He never gave up.
In a display of desperation and determination, on Christmas night 1776, General George Washington led the rag-tag Continental Army across the Delaware River to attack the outpost at Trenton, New Jersey.
Washington’s army commenced its crossing of the half-frozen river at three locations. The 2,400 soldiers led by Washington successfully braved the icy and freezing river and reached the New Jersey side of the Delaware just before dawn.
Washington’s force, separated into two columns, and reached the outskirts of Trenton. Trenton’s 1,400 defenders were groggy from the previous evening’s festivities and underestimated the Patriot threat after months of decisive British victories throughout New York. Washington’s men quickly overwhelmed their defenses, and surrounded the town. Several hundred escaped, and nearly 1,000 were captured at the cost of only four American lives.
It was a brilliant victory for George Washington – and a tremendous morale boost for the Americans. Within a few days, Washington followed up his victory with another at Princeton, and then quartered his troops at Morristown. The British were forced to redeploy in a way that gave up most of New Jersey and limited their reach in New York. It was a masterful campaign that stabilized the American Revolution and made victory possible.
The lesson learned…
Unconventional warfare, thinking outside the box, and a surprise attack when the enemy was most vulnerable – all made the difference in the ultimate victory. One battle, although itself not extremely significant, made all the difference for the eventual outcome. It boosted moral. It gave hope to those on the fence… You see, one person can make a difference. It could even be you…
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Ken,
Merry Christmas to you and your family, from our family.
your post today, is timely, and can for sure apply to much in life, besides leadership troubles in power.
“Unconventional warfare, thinking outside the box, and a surprise attack when the enemy was most vulnerable – all made the difference in the ultimate victory. One battle, although itself not extremely significant, made all the difference for the eventual outcome. It boosted moral. It gave hope to those on the fence… You see, one person can make a difference. It could even be you”
-in life, dealing with folks in general, and yes, sometimes relatives (timely at xmas), these very same principles can often be applied quite effectively. often it is the little changes/things, one can do which might improve situations/interactions. and often, a little is enough, in your article and in life in general.
What’s going to save Amerika in 2014?
Again Merry Christmas , to all ! Remember the 3% that fought and won the 1st Revolution , also remember the 25% that backed and helped feed , hide , and supply the 3% ,they too are the ones that helped the Patriots , most of the populace was behind the Patriots but still some were behind the British . The reasons that in this day and time people will not stand and tell the government to stop their tyrannical ways is because they are afraid that the government will crush them and their families , plus a lot of folks have their houses , SUVs ,all their playthings ,all of their electronics , a lot of people just ignore what is happening and mainly they don’t want to be bothered , some are blind to what is happening because they are happy with the status quo , until a lot of people wake up to this or come together and stand as a majority we will keep being trampled on . We almost had the 2nd revuolution this past April , if the gun control bills would have been passed it would have been the starting point of armed insurrection. As for the politicians in DC ,they are too concerned with lining their own pockets , and also they are too arrogant to believe that they will one day push the people too far and then it will be the people against the Federal government , no matter if some of the military and some of law enforcement does side with international troops called in to help deal with an armed insurrection , there is no way that the Feds can win a nation wide battle with all of the armed citizens from coast to coast , oh yes it is coming it is just a matter of when , our founding fathers are calling to us from the grave to not let this country and its original ideals die at the hands of communists and criminals . Myself I am ready , willing and able to take the fight to the enemy , whoever it may be , so help me God ! Be prepared and ready.Keep your powder dry.
Amen Andy +1000