3571From George Washington to Robert Morris, 25 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I have your obliging favors of the 21st and 23d the Blankets are come to hand, but I would not have any of the other Goods sent on, till you hear again from me. I agree with you, that it is in vain to ruminate upon, or even reflect upon the Authors or Causes of our present Misfortunes, we should rather exert ourselves, and look forward with Hopes, that some lucky Chance may yet turn up in our...
3572To George Washington from the Pennsylvania Council of Safety, 25 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
The present divided State of the Enemys army and the confidence they have gaind by their late successes, are well known to your Excellency, but we think it our duty to acquaint you likewise that there are several Companies of our back Country Militia that have applied to us for Liberty to act as scouting parties of irregulars—this mode of waging war they say is more adapted to their genius and...
3573From George Washington to Major General Israel Putnam, 25 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I am glad to hear by Your Son that you are getting better again If I had not been well convinced before of the Enemies Intention of possessing themselves of Philadelphia, so soon as the Frost will form Ice hard enough to transport them, and their Artillery across the Delaware, I have an Intercepted Letter which puts the matter beyond a doubt. If therefore the Citizens of Philadelphia have any...
3574To George Washington from Colonel John Cadwalader, 26 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
The River was so full of Ice that it was impossible to pass above Bristol, where I intend[ed]—and therefore concluded to make an attempt at Dunks’s Ferry—as soon as it was dark I sent down all the Boats I could muster, & mar[c]hed down about 8 O’Clock—I embarked a few men to line the River & prevent any person escaping to give Intelligence to the Enemy; and these were followed by a part of the...
3575To George Washington from Colonel John Cadwalader, 26 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
We are now perfectly prepared, & would cross immediately, but the Troops lost their Rest last Night—We have determined to pass over to the Neck of Land a little above Bristol at six in the Morning, proceed to Bussel Town, the Square, & from thence to Bordenton—I imagine, if a part of your Army was to take possession of the other side of Crosswix Bridge, which is a pass easily defended, and the...
3576To George Washington from Major General William Heath, 26 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
yesterday General Wadsworths Brigade went Home leaving the Stores without a Guard Untill I sent one Down. The Militia of this State are Coming in—None have as yet arrived from the Eastward, Brigadier General Warner was at Danbury the Last night with 4 Companies Only—more are Hourly Expected—General Lincoln is on the Road, I have Sent your Excellency’s Letter by Express to meet him. I have...
3577To George Washington from Robert Morris, 26 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I have just received yours of yesterday and will duely attend to those things you recommend to my consideration, at present I have to enclose you a letter from Congress which I suppose Contains their resolves of the 20th Inst. but as the President does not say in his letter to me that they are enclosed to you & as it is necessary you shou’d have them, I take the liberty to send herewith a Copy...
3578General Orders, 27 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
T he G eneral , with the utmost sincerity and affection, thanks the Officers and soldiers for their spirited and gallant behavior at Trenton yesterday. It is with inexpressible pleasure that he can declare, that he did not see a single instance of bad behavior in either officers or privates; and that if any fault could be found, it proceeded from a too great eagerness to push forward upon the...
3579From George Washington to Colonel John Cadwalader, 27 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I was just now favoured with your Two Letters of the 25th and 26th Instant and regret much the cause that prevented your passing the River. had it not been for this accident, I am persuaded our Plans would have been accomplished to our utmost wishes. The same Obstacle hindered Genl Ewin from giving his aid and cooperating in the attack on Trenton. could we have had his force to have secured...
3580To George Washington from Colonel John Cadwalader, 27 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
As I did not hear from you this Morning, & being prepared to embark, I concluded you was still on this Side & therefore embarked & landed about 1500 men, about two miles above Bristol—After a considerable number were landed I had information, from the Paymaster of Col: Hichcocks Brigade, that you had crossed over from Trenton—This defeated the Scheme of joining your Army—We were much...
3581To George Washington from Major William De Hart, 27 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
In Consequence of your Excellencys Orders And Request by Genl Maxwell I have this Day begun the Recruiting Service of the first Jersey Regt And Shall Expedite it with All Possible Speed, Had I been Determin’d to Remain longer in the Jersey Service I Should long before have done it, And Nothing but your Excellencys Request & this Critical Period of time Should have Induced Me to have done it...
3582From George Washington to John Hancock, 27 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I have the pleasure of congratulating you upon the Success of an Enterprize, which I had formed against a Detatchment of the Enemy lying in Trenton, and which was executed yesterday Morning. The Evening of the 25th I ordered the Troops intended for this Service to parade back of McKonkey’s Ferry, that they might begin to pass as soon as it grew dark, imagining we should be able to throw them...
3583To George Washington from John Hancock, 27 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
The enclosed Resolves being of the utmost Importance, will naturally claim your Attention, without any particular Recommendation or Comment. They are ardently calculated to retrieve the Situation of our Affairs, and I trust will have the desired Effect. I have wrote to the Councils of Safety of Massachussetts Bay and Pennsylvania on the Subject of creating Magazines in their respective States...
3584From George Washington to Robert Morris, 27 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I this minute received the honor of your favor of the 26th, and you may be assured that I shall with great pleasure transmit all my dispatches to Congress through your hands and unsealed. The inclosed to them will give you a full account of the attack on Trenton and to which I beg leave to refer you. I regret much, that the Ice prevented Col. Cadwalader from passing. could he have got over...
3585From George Washington to Colonel Joseph Reed?, 27 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I was this morning favoured with yours & thank you much for your kind congratulations & wishes. I regret much the Accident that prevented the passage of our Troops. had it not been for that cause and the Several attacks intended, had been made, I am persuaded our Plans would have succeedd to our warmest wishes. I have several Letters to write & therefore must refer you to Colo. Cadwalader who...
3586To George Washington from Colonel Joseph Reed, 27 December 1776 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from Col. Joseph Reed, 27 Dec. 1776. Reed says in his narrative of events that after his arrival at Trenton late on this date: “I wrote to Gen. Wash’g by Express informing him of the State of Things of the Progress of Gen. Cadwallader’s Division & the Retreat of the Enemy & urging him to cross the River again & pursue the Advantages which Providence had presented,...
3587General Orders, 28 December 1776 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Document not found: General Orders, 28 Dec. 1776. GW wrote Brig. Gen. William Maxwell on this date : “I have issued some orders to day for the encouragement of the troops, whose terms are near expiring.”
3588To George Washington from Colonel John Cadwalader, 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
We arrived here about 1 o’Clock—the advanced party about ten —I have sent Horse-men to reconnoitre & from every Information the Enemy left Allen Town about 8 o’Clock this Morng—If I had been happy enough to have cross’d at Dunks’s Ferry we should have compleatly destroyed the Army in this Quarter—I am informed that the Hessians went off in the utmost confusion—I am sorry some of the Troops...
3589To George Washington from the Executive Committee of the Continental Congress, 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
We have the pleasure to own receipt of your acceptable favour of yesterday by Colo. Bayler & most sincerely do we rejoice in your Excellencys success at Trentown as we conceive it will have the most important publick consequences and because we think it will do justice in some degree to a Character we admire & which we have long wished to appear in the World with that Brilliancy that success...
3590From George Washington to Major General William Heath, 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
Head Quarters, New Town [Pa.] 28 December 1776 . Acknowledges receipt of “Your favor of the 21st Instant” and encloses a duplicate of his letter to Heath of that date “least that should have miscarried.” GW then repeats almost verbatim the text of his letter to Hancock of 27 Dec. concerning the Battle of Trenton. “I some time ago, mentioned to you the importance, of attacking the Enemy’s...
3591From George Washington to Major General William Heath, 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
Since I had the pleasure of informing you Yesterday of our Success at Trenton, I have received Advice that Count Donnop with the remainder of the Enemy’s Army, immediately upon the News, decamped, and was on his Retreat towards South Amboy. On hearing this Genl Ewing and Colo. Cadwallader passed the River with the Troops under their command, and Genl Mifflin will follow this day with a...
3592To George Washington from Major General William Heath, 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I have just received the honor of yours of the 21st Inst., & am much distressed to hear of the disagreable Situation that your Excellency is like soon to be in. None of the Eastern Militia have as yet arrived that I know of except those mention’d in my Letter of Yesterday —When they come in I shall endeavor strictly to observe your Excellency’s Directions. It is truly surprising that whilst...
3593From George Washington to Brigadier General Alexander McDougall, 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I have yours of the 22d and am sorry that Affairs bore so bad an Aspect in your Quarter at that time. But I hope that the late Success at Trenton on the 26th and the Consequences of it, will change the face of Matters not only there but every where else. I crossed over to Jersey the Evening of the 25th about 9 Miles above Trenton with upwards of 2000 Men and attacked three Regiments of...
3594From George Washington to Brigadier General William Maxwell, 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
As I am about to enter the Jerseys with a considerable force immediately for the purpose of attempting a recovery of that Country from the Enemy, and as a diversion on your quarter may greatly facilitate this event by distracting & dividing their troops, I must request you will collect all the force in your power together, and annoy and distress them, by every means which Prudence can suggest....
3595To George Washington from Brigadier General Thomas Mifflin, 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
The enclosd I have this Minute reced from an Express sent by my Order to Genl Cadwalader—The General not knowing that I was here did not write to me—& as I supposd the Contents of Importance in my Movements I took the Liberty to open the Letter for which I must plead only the Occasion in Excuse. I came here at 4 OClock this Afternoon. 500 Men sent from Philad. Yesterday crossd to Burlington...
3596To George Washington from Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., 28 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
The General Assembly of this State at their last session in novemr last ordered four Battalions to be raised in this State, to march and be stationed as part of the Continental Army and to serve untill the 15th of march while our Quota of sd army is filling up. Considerable progress is made therein, but fearing there would not a sufficient number of them arrive in season and before the term of...
3597General Orders, 29 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
The Abstracts for Payment of the Troops to be made out, and lodged with the Generals Secretary for the Months of November and December. The unnecessary Baggage of the Army to be deposited for the present, at New Town, as the Sick also are till they can be removed to Philadelphia agreeable to the directions of Doctr Shippin or Doctr Cockran—But Small Guards to be left with the Baggage & those...
3598From George Washington to John Hancock, 29 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I am just setting out, to attempt a second passage over the Delaware with the Troops that were with me on the morning of the 26th. I am determined to effect it, if possible but know that it will be attended with much fatigue & difficulty on account of the Ice, which will neither allow us to cross on Foot, or give us an easy passage with Boats. Genl Cadwalader crossed from Bristol on the 27th...
3599From George Washington to Lieutenant General William Howe, 29 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I take the Liberty of inclosing you a Letter for Genl Lee, which I must beg the favor of you to have forwarded as early as possible, as it contains a draft upon Major Small for a Sum of Money of which I fear the General will be in want. A Division of prisoners of the 7th Regt with Captain Newmarsh, crossed the River at Easton and went in without Mr Moylans Knowledge. From the irregularity of...
3600To George Washington from Hugh Hughes, 29 December 1776 (Washington Papers)
I have endeavour’d to comply with your Excellency’s Instructions, relative to the Department, as far as Time and Circumstances would permit. The Tents, to the Amount of about eight Hundred, good and bad, have been forwarded to Fishkill, as well as the entrenching Tools, Pots and Camp-kettles, unless it be those rec’d within three or four Days. I have order’d an exact Return to be made from the...