Second Battle of Trenton

Following his stunning Trenton victory, Washington faced a formidable challenge. Cornwallis moved rapidly southward with 5,000 men, determined to destroy the Continental Army. Washington chose to stand at Trenton rather than retreat, positioning his men behind Assunpink Creek. Three times Cornwallis sent his men across the bridge over the Creek, and three times they were driven back by accurate American cannon fire and musketry.

As darkness fell, Cornwallis decided to wait until morning to deliver what he believed would be the final blow. 'We've got the Old Fox safe now,' he reportedly told his officers. 'We'll go over and bag him in the morning.' Washington had other plans. That night he called a council of war and proposed a bold night march around Cornwallis's left flank to strike Princeton. Leaving campfires burning and a small guard to maintain the illusion the army was still in position, Washington's 5,000 men silently marched away, muffling wagon wheels with rags.

By dawn they were miles away. When Cornwallis's men advanced on the American position in the morning, they found only dying embers. The general who had been so confident of victory hours before had been completely outmaneuvered, demonstrating that Washington's strategic brilliance exceeded his tactical limitations.