Trenton: The Night Washington Crossed the Delaware | 5-Minute Videos | PragerU

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🗓️ 27 April 2026

⏱️ 6 minutes

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Summary

In the winter of 1776, it looked like the battle for independence was doomed. The British army had chased Washington out of New York. To salvage victory from defeat, the American general had one last play to make. He would attack his enemy on Christmas night. The password was “victory or death.” Historian Mark Maloy tells the desperate and inspiring tale. Want to learn more? Watch ➡️ Road to Liberty: Battle of Trenton: https://l.prageru.com/4eHLObV Watch ➡️ Delaware River Snow Globe: ⁠⁠⁠ https://l.prageru.com/3OAPaTz 🚚 The Freedom Truck is rolling into town with an immersive, hands-on journey through American history! 🇺🇸 Step inside, celebrate 250 years, and experience our founding like never before. ✨Check it out here 👉 https://l.prageru.com/4eCo09m ▶️ Watch more episodes of 5-Minute Videos at: ⁠https://l.prageru.com/4lCX76A ⭐ Did you enjoy this episode? Follow the show, leave a rating, and share it with someone who needs to hear this conversation! 👉 What else is PragerU unpacking? From timeless wisdom with Dennis Prager to unfiltered Real Talk with Marissa Streit — discover your next favorite at PragerU.com/podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠https://l.prageru.com/40ZbPLH⁠⁠⁠ Follow PragerU: YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PragerU ⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/prageru X/Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/prageru ⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/prageru ⁠⁠⁠ Rumble: ⁠⁠⁠https://rumble.com/c/PragerU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	In spring 1776, the British sent a massive armada of 400 ships carrying 32,000 men across the Atlantic.
0:10.9	Led by General William Howe, seasoned veteran of the French and Indian War,
0:15.2	it was one of the largest invasion forces in the history of the world up until that time.
0:20.5	Its purpose was straightforward.
0:22.7	Quash the American Rebellion once and for all.
0:25.7	It almost did.
0:27.1	That August, how thoroughly trounce George Washington
0:30.1	and his fledgling Continental Army,
0:32.2	driving them entirely out of New York City.
0:34.9	It was a humiliating defeat.
0:37.2	When it was over, Washington's army of 20,000
0:40.3	was reduced to 5,000 from death, disease, and desertion. The game, as Washington admitted to his
0:47.0	brother in a letter, was pretty near up. What to do now? Whatever it was, it would have to be something bold,
0:53.5	something that would reignite the
0:55.2	Patriot cause, prove once again that the Americans could stand up to the British. Was such an
1:01.2	option even available? Washington thought so. He had identified a chink in the British armor,
1:06.9	an isolated garrison of 1400 Hessian soldiers, German mercenaries hired by the British
1:12.9	and camped at Trenton, New Jersey. Here was Washington's plan. Crossed the Delaware River on Christmas
1:19.4	night and surprised the Hessians in their beds, presumably where they'd be recovering from a night
1:25.0	of revelry. Washington would attack from the north,
1:28.2	supported by two smaller forces,
1:30.5	led by General James Ewing and Colonel John Cadwalder,
	...

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