George Washington's Surprise Attack

by Phillip Thomas Tucker

  But a handful of Hessian gunners defiantly refused to run, standing their ground beside their prized cannon just north of Petty’s Run. After much effort with handspikes and rope to maneuver the cumbersome field piece that weighed nearly a thousand pounds, Westerburg and his remaining gunners finally turned the other cannon around in the proper direction, facing north toward Captain Washington’s vanguard. But not enough time remained to load the field piece with canister with the cheering Virginians practically atop them.

  Therefore, the last group of German cannoneers finally abandoned the gun. Meanwhile, Engelhardt’s artillerymen of the other cannon courageously attempted to get off one final shot. After switching from round shot to canister and despite caught out in the open, the last remaining German gunners continued to faithfully perform their solemn duty like good soldiers to the very end. Captain Washington’s riflemen now raced down the slope with renewed speed, sensing the kill and hoping to reach the cannon before it could be fired. With howling Americans getting close, Engelhardt ordered his gunners to retreat before it was too late. Partly thanks to hot frontal and flank fires that decimated the cannoneers, none of Captain Washington’s Virginians were hit.15

  Watching the drama playing out along King Street from the windswept heights, General Stephen had never seen such expert shooting from his own Virginia riflemen on his brigade’s right flank and Third Virginia soldiers, on Stirling’s right-center, to the west. In timely fashion, these experienced Virginians had effectively supported Captain Washington and Lieutenant Monroe’s charge down King Street with an accurate fire from their Long Rifles that hit targets at long range before the attackers swarmed close to Engelhardt’s cannon. Positioned on higher ground than Captain Washington’s Virginia men surging down the broad slope before them, expert riflemen from Stephen and Stirling’s commands had fired straight down middle of the street, while the vanguard attackers hugged the sides of King Street, staying close to the houses to provide an open field of fire down the street. Meanwhile, the sharp barking of the Long Rifles echoed from the snowy heights, and the Virginians of Stephen’s brigade took pride in having administrated severe punishment upon lower-lying Hessian targets around the two artillery pieces situated just north of Petty’s Run. In a letter, an amazed Stephen described how, “You never Saw so many good Shot[s] made in your life time—We drove the Enemy from their Cannon in our Shooting.”16

  Meanwhile, the rawboned Virginians closed in on the two German field pieces, and nothing could now stop them. In his diary, Colonel Fitzgerald described the dramatic moment when, “The Hessians were just ready to open fire [with canister] with two of their cannon when Captain Washington and Lieutenant Monroe with their men rushed forward and captured them.”17 With a drawn artillery saber and leading his onrushing fellow New England and Pennsylvania artillerymen, in their first and last infantry charge of the war, young Orderly Sergeant White was at the forefront of the rapid descent down the slope upon the two vulnerableguns of the Rall Regiment. The young former assistant adjutant, who was proud of being “a good speller,” was now on the field of Trenton only after barely surviving a near fatal “dangerous sickness” a short time before.

  White, who hailed from the fishing and commercial port of Weymouth, Massachusetts, which was named after an English coastal community in Dorset, England, described the desperate life-and-death race to reach the Rall Regiment’s three-pounders, just before the last German artillerymen unleashed a hail of canister upon Captain Washington’s vanguard: “I hallowed as loud as I could scream, to the men to run for their lives right up to the pieces [and] I was the first that reach[ed] them. They had all left it, expect one man tending vent—run you dog, cried I, holding my sword over his head, he looked up and saw it, then run” for his life.18

  Watching the stirring scene on King Street from the high ground, General Stephen penned in a letter how this single “brave” Hessian cannoneer, who remained at his gun “was loading her by him self after the Rest had left him—a Virginian as brave as he, would not let him [and] but run up knockd [sic] him down w[i]t[h] the butt of his Gun & took him prisoner.”19 And in a letter from his father, Marylander Tench Tilghman described Captain Washington’s bold charge down King Street, writing how: “our people advanced up [to] the Mouths of their Field pieces, shot down their Horses [to ensure that they could not bring] off the Cannon.”20

  But what also made Captain Washington’s daring charge succeed in the end was the accurate musketry that streamed from both front (north) and flank (west). Upon ascertaining the vanguard’s initial progress, General Washington had ordered more Virginia Continentals into the fray and straight down King Street, exploiting the tactical opportunity to capitalize on the hard-won tactical gains. Advancing behind Captain Washington’s vanguard, consequently, the sharpshooters of the Third Virginia Continental Regiment had provided excellent fire support, while they surged down the snowy slope, firing on the move in true frontier fashion. In addition, some of the finest marksmen of Major George Johnston’s Fifth Virginia Continental Regiment, situated on the far right of Stephen’s brigade, also had early provided fire support with long-range rifle fire from the high ground. Organized in May 1776, the Fifth Virginia Continental Regiment consisted of veterans from Henrico, Westmoreland, Lancaster, Bedford, Loudoun, Northumberland, Richmond, Hanover, Chesterfield, and Spotsylvania Counties, Virginia.21

  Most importantly, the capture of the two three-pounders to remove the last and principal barrier that had stubbornly loomed in his way before General Washington could unleash a general advance down King Street also now opened up new tactical opportunities. Emboldened by his success in overrunning the Hessian cannon, Captain Washington instinctively felt the pressing urgency to keep moving and driving a retreating opponent ever-farther down King Street. In a chain reaction, Captain Washington’s tactical success in capturing the two three-pounders fueled “Old Joe Gourd” Weedon’s general assault of the Third Virginia farther down King Street. Meanwhile and equally significant, the Third Virginia’s push south coincided with the advance of troops on the left of Stirling’s brigade, with its right flank now secure and protected by Captain Washington’s successful charge down King Street just to the west, which began to inch down icy Queen Street.

  At this time, a good opportunity now existed on King Street below Petty’s Run for additional tactical gains to be reaped by the attackers also because the Lieb Company of Rall’s Regiment, on the left flank, continued to be raked by the gunfire from Mercer’s men from the west. Resulting in a chain reaction, the grenadier’s dilemma then spilled over to other westernmost companies on the Rall Regiment’s left in Pinkerton’s Alley, and also on the von Lossberg Regiment’s left flank, in Church Alley, which was located just below Petty’s Run, causing some confusion.

  After overrunning the two three-pounders and after Englehardt’s gunners had “suffered for their bravery,” Captain Washington’s elated victors raised a resounding “Huzza” that rang through Trenton’s darkened streets now brightened by the attacker’s high spirits. This Old Dominion victory cheer echoed above the sharp crackle of escalating gunfire, cutting through the thick battle-smoke that left a hazy, sulphurous atmosphere, already dimmed by the winter’s weak light and dense cloud cover, hanging over Trenton like a dark cloud.

  With their fighting blood up, Captain Washington and Lieutenant Monroe, despite being out of breath from their daring sprint down King Street in leading the charge, now resisted the temptation of resting, catching their breath, or celebrating their success to waste precious time. These two young leaders wisely avoided this all-too-common tactical mistake too often made by even the most experienced commanders during the excitement of victory. Once again proving the wisdom of their commander-in-chief’s confidence in them, the two enterprising Virginia officers knew better than to unnecessarily risk sacrificing the hard-won momentum and the initiative by wasting precious time.

  With Captain Washington and Lieutenant Monroe continuing to lead t
he way, the Virginia riflemen once again swarmed south across the little, wooden bridge spanning Petty’s Run, resuming their bold rush into Trenton. Captain Washington’s Virginia boys surged farther down King Street, almost as if the snowy sloping ground and slippery street surface alone now carried them toward the town’s center, without losing momentum or the initiative. Intoxicated by their heady success in capturing the two Hessian guns and envisioning greater tactical gains in pushing farther south, some elated attackers shouted the unforgettable words of Paine’s The American Crisis. Just hearing Tom Paine’s inspiring sentiments repeated on the battlefield spread greater enthusiasm among the common soldiers now spearheading the Second Division’s offensive effort. Clearly, Washington’s wise decision to have the words of Paine’s pamphlet read out loud to the troops just before crossing the Delaware continued to pay dividends.22

  All the while, Captain Washington’s Virginians surged farther down King Street in the hope of breaking up additional Hessian resistance situated below Petty’s Run before Rall’s troops had an opportunity to rally and again launch a counterattack. Attempting to defend themselves against the Virginian’s attack steamrolling down King Street, some westernmost German troops, of both the Rall and von Lossberg Regiments on the left flank, in King Street retired farther south for better protection. But most grenadiers and fusiliers remained in relatively sheltered positions in Church and Pinkerton’s Alleys east of King Street to escape the worst of Forrest’s artillery fire. However, with Captain Washington’s elated men, tasting victory and desired additional success, surging down the sloping ground, either a group of Hessian skirmishers or a reinforcing party belatedly sent north by Rall in an attempt to save Engelhardt’s guns, was forced to take position in houses at the upper end of King Street just below Petty’s Run on the street’s east side.

  In Church Alley on King Street’s east side to the south, meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Scheffer shifted the pressured left of his von Lossberg Regiment to protect his now suddenly more vulnerable left flank. Then, the von Lossberg fusiliers defended their vulnerable flank as best they could from the dual threats of Captain Washington’s surge south and Mercer’s withering fire just to King Street’s west. And from advantageous positions in the private houses (sleeping quarters) at King’s Street’s northern end just below Petty’s Run, German soldiers, who never retired south, held firm, refusing to budge.

  Blasting away from good cover, these ensconced Hessians opened up at close range from houses situated along the east side of King Street upon the left flank of Captain Washington’s vanguard, which continued to lead “Old Gourd” Third Virginia Weedon’s advance. However, the fact that some von Lossbergers, from the regiment’s left flank, who had been pushed down King Street opened fire from the south resulted in a vicious crossfire—up the street to the south and from the houses to the west—that raked the surging Virginia vanguard. To prevent their capture, meanwhile, the two three-pounders of the Knyphausen Regiment were prudently hauled east toward Queen Street and united with the von Lossberg Regiment for safekeeping during the chaos of battle.

  Leading the way farther down King Street, the sheer commanding size of General Washington’s esteemed second cousin at the forefront made him an ideal target. He had a close call when a large-caliber lead musket ball passed between his fingers of the right hand gripping his saber. Captain Washington, age twenty-four, was now completely exposed in the eye of the storm with Hessians firing upon him from nearby houses on King Street’s east side at close range and also up the open street from the south. Towering above his fellow Virginians and with whistling bullets by his ears and tempting fate once too often, Captain Washington was hit. This aggressive, resourceful commander, a well-educated member of the planter class, suffered painful wounds to both hands. Then gangly Lieutenant Monroe, a fresh-faced youth of only eighteen, took charge of the Virginia vanguard survivors, who were yet determined to exploit their success to the fullest.

  With the savvy instincts of a veteran officer wise beyond his years, young Monroe wasted not a moment in taking command, despite the vicious cross fire and his men’s exhaustion. “At the head of the corps,” Monroe hurriedly prepared his band of Virginia Continentals to continue their attack farther down King Street. Monroe’s decision to continue to exploit the hard-won advantage was wise. The lieutenant’s Virginia boys, breathless but more than ready to continue the attack, were yet invigorated by their sparkling success in capturing two cannon. Knowing the importance of maintaining the initiative by continuing to push even farther down King Street to break up as much Hessian resistance and as quickly as possible, the young scholar-officer shouted, “Charge!” With drawn saber, the mature teenager, demonstrating that he was a tactically astute officer, then led his cheering Old Dominion riflemen deeper toward the smoke-laden center of the town, blanketed in a fresh sheet of snow, which had transformed into a raging battlefield.

  Gaining more momentum in the wild charge south along the slick, icy sloping ground that gradually descended toward the river, the Virginia vanguard’s assault continued down King Street and ever-closer to Rall’s headquarters. In the forefront and like Captain Washington who had fallen wounded in consequence, Monroe was especially vulnerable. While surging onward through the falling snow and the hail of bullets that whizzed by from nearby houses that spat a blistering sheet of flame at close range, Monroe was soon hit by a lead ball in the tempest. As fate would have it, the future president of the United States now suffered the most serious wound of any American soldier on December 26. He had volunteered for this key mission, and now paid the price.

  With the lead ball passing through Monroe’s breast and shoulder, the gapping wound appeared mortal. At a makeshift field hospital, two American medical men later saved the life of the good-natured young lieutenant of so much promise when one physician hurriedly tied the severed artery in Monroe’s shoulder just in time. Monroe not only gained a captain’s rank for his heroism at Trenton, but also established a lofty reputation that helped to pave the way for him to eventually become the republic’s fifth president in 1817.

  As fate would have it, Monroe carried this large-caliber lead ball in his shoulder all the way to the White House and to another American battlefield at Bladensburg, Maryland. Here, just northeast of Washington, DC, where the rout of American forces resulted in the British task force’s entry and the capital’s burning in September 1814, as President James Madison’s secretary of state Monroe made tactical deployments with untrained Maryland militia in the vain hope of repelling a new generation of British invaders of America’s sacred soil.23

  Finally, on embattled King Street, the Virginia vanguard’s slashing attack ran out of steam, losing momentum with the fall of its two inspirational leaders and stymied by exhaustion, especially when combined with an escalating of Hessian fire from the south in front, and a flank fire from the east. But most importantly and as envisioned by the commander-in-chief, a great deal had been already achieved by the spirited onslaught of Captain Washington’s Virginians. At the cost of Monroe and Washington’s wounding, what these two promising, young Virginia officers had accomplished in a relatively short time was the removal of the main obstacle, Engelhardt’s two three-pounders, to Washington’s general advance down King Street. By regaining of the initiative and momentum at a key moment so soon after the repulse of Rall’s two regiments attacking up King Street, these hard-charging Virginia Continentals paved the way for Washington’s soldiers to continue surging farther down King Street and toward the heart of Trenton while not allowing the Hessians to gain time to solidify resistance or to launch another counterattack northward.

  Most importantly, Captain Washington’s timely tactical achievement stemmed not only from inspired leadership but also from something instinctual and almost primeval that brought out the aggressiveness of the common Virginia soldiers in the ranks, almost as if they were yet hunting and chasing down wounded prey for sport or to put food on the dinner table. In a letter to
his Maryland Tory father, Lieutenant Tilghman described the dramatic moment how the elated Virginia Continentals had “pushed on with so much rapidity that the Enemy had scarce time to form, our people advanced up to the Mouths of their Field pieces” and then beyond these significant gains and farther down King Street.24

  All in all, Captain Washington’s tactical success was in fact a key turning point of the battle, helping to pave the way for the overall fulfillment of General Washington’s tactical design of a double envelopment, drawing one arm of pincer much closer to the other. Revealing no regional prejudices, Colonel Haslet bestowed proper recognition where it was due, although he was from Delaware, by writing in a letter to his good friend Caesar Rodney, a Declaration of Independence signer and Delaware delegate in the Continental Congress, how “a party of Virginians formed the vanguard and did most of the fighting” this morning.25

  The dashing Irish colonel’s words were no exaggeration in regard to the tenacious struggle for King Street’s possession. Quite simply, Washington’s and Monroe’s timely “capture of the two Hessian cannon was, in fact, a turning point of the Battle of Trenton [because] The clearing of the upper end of King Street permitted George Washington to [eventually] complete a maneuver that led to the entrapment and surrender of hundreds of the defenders [in the end] And no act of individual bravery had more bearing on the outcome of the battle than the wild charge against the Hessian cannon on King Street. . . .”26