The General's Christmas (9 page)

The Hessians finally managed
to gather and began a march along the south side of Trenton,
complete with marching music. In a straight firing line, the
soldiers readied their muskets, took aim, and fired at the
Americans. They were answered by several cannon balls and a
multitude of muskets cracking all at once. The Hessians knew they
were outnumbered.

One of Rall’s lieutenants came running.

“Colonel Rall, Sir! The
enemy has surrounded the town!”

Rall looked around past the
buildings, now exploding, enveloped in smoke. He heard musket fire
from the northeast and the west. Gun smoke poured from houses all
along King and Queen Streets. Mortar screamed through the air,
crashing into buildings, smashing glass windows and splintering
wood.

Rall shouted, "Attack the American
flank!"

The Hessians reformed but
had to wait as the officers argued about which route to
take.

Meanwhile, more American regiments brought
additional cannon and heavy weapons forward to join the assault.
Heavy artillery continued to bombard the Hessians, killing men and
horses. American infantry continued to advance, moving from house
to house firing at Hessians in the streets.

Another volley of fire from
the Hessians spooked an American's horse. It reared upon its back
legs, pawing the air, whinnying plaintively, and throwing its
rider.

A barrage of cannon balls
blasted the Hessian regiment, killing and ravaging. Colonel Rall
pulled his regiment back to the east, taking them to safety behind
the English Church. There, two of his regiments reformed as the
fighting continued in the center of town.

“We’ll attack their flank!” Rall shouted,
“Follow me!”

He urged his horse forward and led the troops
through an apple orchard, up a snow-covered road leading north.
They would soon surprise the Americans from the east.

As he sat mounted upon his
horse with a spyglass to his eye, General Washington observed the
progress of the battle. From his summit, Trenton lay before him
like a map. He barely flinched as a cannon ball struck the ground
nearby and musket fire exploded around him. Through his glass, he
spotted movement to the left, between a row of houses on King St.
The Hessians were advancing north around the outside of town, and
he surmised their intent.

“General Greene! Send a regiment to our left
flank!”

“Sir!” Greene responded and
shouted orders to his officers. They quickly rushed to the east
side of the town and set up positions upon the bluff overlooking
the road to the orchard. When the Hessians came into range, they
fired a torrent of musket balls. The Hessians stopped to return
fire, but after several minutes of relentless assault, they fell
back and retreated.

Colonel Rall gradually reassembled his force
once more, taking position along the Assunpink Creek at the south
end of town. Americans were moving through the center of town, and
would soon meet them. Rall decided to hold this position as long as
they could. He sent a brigade to keep the Americans from taking the
bridge, which would be their only route of escape.

But when the brigade took
positions at the Trenton end of the bridge, they found themselves
facing Sullivan's New Englanders. Fighting fiercely, they pushed
the Hessians back. The Hessians retreated along the creek, looking
for another escape route, but one of their cannon carriages became
stuck in the snow.

Outnumbered, the Hessians
fled, leaving their cannon behind. A few of the Americans chased
them through freezing creek water. Colonel Rall ordered his men to
keep firing. Suddenly, he was hit and thrown from his
saddle.

Soldiers rushed to his side. They carried him
to a nearby church and laid him upon one of the pews.

Outside, the Americans were
advancing through the town, killing Hessians along the way as the
enemy retreated.

A group of Hessians gathered behind a house,
discussing what to do.

“Colonel Rall is wounded badly,” one officer
reported, “And the Americans have surrounded the town. We are
outnumbered!”

“If we surrender, they’ll
kill us!” one of the men argued.

“If we surrender we may have a chance to
live. But if we continue to fight, we will all be killed!”

There was another round of cannon fire from
the south where Sullivan’s men continued to push their way along
the Assunpink Creek along the lower end of town.

“We’re surrounded!” another soldier
cried.

They knew their fate was sealed and further
resistance was futile.

From the hilltop, Washington watched the
Hessians gathering at the southern end of town. It appeared as if
they were organizing for another attack.

The storm continued to heap snow upon the
town while musket fire tattooed like firecrackers. The Americans
had now surrounded the Hessians. Corporal Baylor approached General
Washington, awaiting the order to finish them off.

“Captain Forrest, switch your ammunition from
round shot to canister,” said Washington.

Captain Forrest nodded and
replied, “Yes, sir!”

As Forrest turned to execute
the order, he spotted something waving in the wind among the
Hessians, and he stared in disbelief.

“Sir! They’ve surrendered!”
Forrest cried.

Washington and Greene sat up
straight in their saddles. Washington looked through his spyglass.
The Hessian colors were lowering over headquarters, and soldiers
were laying down their weapons. He lowered his spyglass, saying,
“So they have, Captain. So they have.”

Chapter 11

There was general chaos at
first, as groups of soldiers continued to fight. Eventually, the
sound of musket fire diminished until only a spattering of shots
could be heard. As word spread that the Hessians had submitted, the
Americans began to cheer.

"We won! My God, we won!"

"We beat 'em! We beat those buggars!"

After cheering boisterously,
they rounded up the prisoners and their weapons. A few Hessian hats
were also taken in the process, and some soldiers pranced around
wearing them with huge grins. A few comedians ventured to imitate
the German language and strut around like Hessians, initiating
laughter. The Hessians huddled in silent fear of their
fate.

Washington turned to General Greene.

"General, spread the word that the prisoners
are to be treated with respect, and that the homes of this town
will not be looted or destroyed in any manner."

"Yes, sir!" he saluted
smartly and turned to give the order. No matter how badly his men
had suffered at the hands of the enemy, Washington would not allow
retribution against men who had fought bravely for their
officers.

As soon as the Hessians were
gathered together and relieved of their weapons, sentries were
stationed to guard them. The American soldiers were invited into a
few of the homes by a few grateful residents who were glad to be
rid of the Hessians. They plied them with hot coffee, soup, and
shelter.

It was another hour before all the enemy
weapons were confiscated. Colonel Knox was especially interested in
the stores of ammunition and gun powder. His men thoroughly
searched the area for everything they could find.

One of the soldiers discovered several casks
of rum, and soon men from every regiment were drinking in
celebration.

"Aye! This is the thing to warm us up!" one
cheered, and they mobbed the storage facility, drinking out of
their hats, their empty powder horns, and their hands.

General Washington and General Greene
inspected the Hessian troops, surveyed the weapons and artillery,
and consulted with some of the Hessian officers. They informed the
general that Colonel Rall was dying in the English Church
nearby.

Washington and Greene
hurried to the church and entered. Inside, it was cold and dark.
The white-painted walls and columns supported a two-story ceiling.
An altar displayed the crucifix and high upon a winding iron
staircase a pulpit cantilevered over the first row of pews. At the
rear of the church, Colonel Rall lay in one of the box pews,
attended by a doctor and two officers.

The doctor looked up and said something in
German.

"Does anyone here speak English?" asked
Washington.

"I do," a weak voice
responded. It was Colonel Rall. His face was ashen white. His eyes
were open but unfocused, and his lips were colorless.

General Greene stood aside
while General Washington stepped inside the wooden box pew and
knelt down beside the padded bench. Rall lay with a thick layer of
blood-soaked bandages lay upon his abdomen. Washington's glance
questioned the doctor, and the doctor's eyes conveyed his
hopelessness.

Washington turned to Colonel Rall, speaking
softly.

"I am General Washington, Commander in Chief
of the Continental Army."

Rall raised his head with the help of his
aide.

"I salute you, Commander.
You have led your men well."

"Thank you, Colonel. Your men fought bravely
until the end."

Rall closed his eyes in satisfaction, and
then opened them again. Slowly, he turned his head and focused on
Washington.

"Please, allow my men to keep their
possessions and treat them well. They are good soldiers, good
officers, and have served me well."

General Washington nodded.

"I will do as you ask. You have my word on
it, Colonel."

"Thank you," he whispered
coarsely and closed his eyes in relief. A moment later, his body
lay perfectly still, yielding no sign of life. The doctor listened
for a heartbeat. Then he carefully pulled the colonel's woolen
cloak over his face.

Once outside the church, Washington turned to
Greene.

"Call a meeting of the officers. We need to
discuss our next move."

Greene nodded and left.

As Washington rode his horse through Trenton,
he surveyed the remnants of war.

Homes had been knocked in by
cannon balls. Windows gaped open to the cold and snow. Soldiers
shoveled snow upon the small fires burning around the houses as a
northeastern wind carried smoke through the town. Groups of Hessian
soldiers were marched toward the center of town where the all the
prisoners were gathered. The wounded were carried into a nearby
building and the dead were loaded upon wagons for
burial.

This is the face of war, Washington thought;
the wounded, the dead, the ravaged lives, broken and burned. This
was the price men paid for their ambitions and dreams of freedom.
This was the price of independence for his country. The unfortunate
soldiers of this generation sacrificed for the freedom of the next.
This war was not fought for those living in the present, but for
those in the future. Generations to come would prosper without the
burden of British taxes and oppression, and would someday live
their lives in peace, freedom, and prosperity.

"Sir!" Corporal Baylor
called, "We have 896 prisoners. So far, 22 of the enemy have been
killed, and 83 are wounded."

"And the cost to us?" asked Washington.

"Four killed, a dozen wounded, one or two
seriously injured."

Washington nodded in satisfaction. It could
have been much worse.

"Tell the officers to meet me inside the
Hessian headquarters in twenty minutes."

"Yes, sir. General
Washington?"

"What is it, Corporal?"

"May I have permission to search for any of
the Hessians' prisoners?"

General Washington remembered Anna and
Elizabeth Clark's father.

"Permission granted. If you find any, let me
know."

"Yes, sir!"

Washington watched as the corporal rounded up
a few men to assist him in the task. His attention was diverted to
a house down the street where soldiers were shouting and
laughing.

General Greene approached.

"The officers have all been
informed, sir."

"Good. What's that ruckus down the
street?"

Greene sheltered his eyes from the snow with
one hand and squinted.

"It's where the rum was found, General. Some
of our men managed to get drunk before one of the officers
discovered it and put a stop to it. They're rounding up the men
now."

Washington nodded, "Good.
They can't march if they're drunk, and we haven't the wagons to
carry them. See that the men are told to eat and rest before you
join us inside headquarters."

"Yes, sir."

Washington rode toward the
Hessian headquarters on Queen St. Despite the condition of his
troops, exhausted from a long, cold march and an intense battle,
their high spirits and laughter were heart-warming. They sang
Christmas carols and laughed at each other's jokes. He was amazed
at what one victory could do to change an army's morale.

Corporal Baylor inquired
among the residents and an English-speaking Hessian if he knew of
prisoners who were being held in town. The corporal sent out a
search party, and after an hour, one reported,

"One of the Hessians says that there's a loft
in the old mill. A few prisoners were kept in there a while back,
but he doesn't know if there are any still there."

"Let's take a look," the
corporal replied. He led them down Queen St. to Water St. and along
the snow-covered road to the mill. The colossal will wheel stood
silently, adorned in thick snow, resting silently beside the frozen
creek.