6 Chapter 5 A Hometown Invaded

Chapter 5 A Hometown Invaded By the winter of 1776, the Continental army had lost battles in New York and retreated south into New Jersey. Unless the battling colonists could stop the British, Philadelphia would soon be under attack, as well. General Washington came up with a daring plan. He knew that Hessians, German troops hired by Britain, were camping near Trenton, New Jersey. Many people believed they would soon head to Philadelphia.

On December 26, 1776, Washington gathered some of his troops near McKonkey's

Ferry, Pennsylvania. (The site is known today as Washington Crossing.) Quietly climbing into boats, they sneaked across the icy Delaware River at night. They arrived at the Hessians' camp during a Christmas party and quickly defeated them. Washington and his men went on to win an important battle at Princeton, New Jersey. They camped for the winter in Morristown, New Jersey, about eighty miles to the north of Philadelphia. But the war was still moving closer to that key city.

PAINTING OF A LEGEND

IN 1851, A GERMAN PAINTER NAMED EMANUEL LEUTZE MADE A FAMOUS PAINTING OF WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE RIVER. IT'S ONE OF THE MOST WELL-KNOWN IMAGES IN AMERICAN HISTORY. THE PAINTER IMAGINED WASHINGTON STANDING IN A ROWBOAT. AROUND HIM, MEN WORKED HARD TO ROW THE BOAT THROUGH THE ICY WATERS. IN THE BACKGROUND, A HORSE STOOD IN ANOTHER BOAT. BUT LEUTZE HAD MANY DETAILS WRONG. THE CROSSING WAS IN THE DARK OF NIGHT, NOT DAYTIME. THE WEATHER WAS NOT CLEAR, BUT RAINY. DURING THE ACTUAL CROSSING, ALL THE MEN WOULD BE STANDING, NOT JUST WASHINGTON. FUTURE PRESIDENT JAMES MONROE IS SHOWN IN THE BOAT WITH WASHINGTON, BUT HE DID NOT CROSS UNTIL LATER. A BLACK SOLDIER NAMED PRINCE WHIPPLE IS

SHOWN IN THE BOAT, BUT HE WAS NOT REALLY WITH THE ARMY THAT DAY. THOUGH MANY OF THE DETAILS MAY NOT BE CORRECT, THE STORY WAS TRUE. WASHINGTON'S BRAVE RIDE ACROSS THE RIVER ON A DECEMBER NIGHT IN 1776 HELPED TURN THE TIDE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Back in Philadelphia, Betsy's life was changing again. She had met a sailor named Joseph Ashburn. On June 15, 1777, Betsy Ross became Betsy Ashburn when the pair married at the Old Swedes' Church in Philadelphia.