by Jack Fernley
Around him, his generals awaited his decision. He looked across at them: Mercer, Sullivan, Greene, Knox, St Clair, Glover and Stirling, all awaiting his decision. Troops passed, still marching towards Trenton, unaware of what was playing in his head. ‘Damn it!’ he said under his breath and then aloud so everyone around him could not be mistaken:
‘We continue, on to Trenton – and victory!’
And he led off, leaving Hand, Reitsch and O’Leary to fall in with the rest of the privates of the line to make their way down the Pennington Road, a road in name, but in truth a rutted track useful for little more than delivering cattle to Philadelphia. As he watched him go, Hand thought that might be the last he would see of George Washington.
It was just before five in the morning when they reached the outskirts of Trenton. Snow was still falling, the wind whipping it into a frenzy of excitement. They lined up carefully, officers attached white paper ribbons to their hats so as to distinguish themselves, men readied their muskets, bayonets fixed where possible. Hand cursed that he was unable to be leading his beloved Pennsylvanian Riflemen and was on little more than nursery duty with Reitsch. All he could do now was stand and wait.
The silence of the early morning was broken by the enormous roar of the field cannon opening up on Trenton from the River Road. From their position, Hand, O’Leary and Reitsch could not see the ball laying bare the walls of the two-storey barracks, but after its noisy discharge, they immediately heard the sounds of men surprised and then alarmed by the assault, followed quickly by the repetitive ping of Sullivan’s musket line advancing on to the town.
A cry came up from Greene, immediately passed on by the men themselves, and the second detachment of the army moved at speed across the open ground before the town. Where before they had been united by their silence, now it was their noise, their clamour for battle, which united them. Men played down their fear of what was to come by screaming, most often impenetrable oaths that were senseless to all but themselves. They trotted, and then they ran, straight towards the centre of the town. Hand held Reitsch and O’Leary back.
‘Ed, come on, we’ll miss the fun, fer the sake of Christ!’
Hand gave a small look of approval at O’Leary and said to Reitsch, ‘Miss, let us see whether your General is as good as his word,’ and they gave chase to the army running rampant into the town.
THIRTEEN
‘General Washington, may I present to you His Excellency the Baron von Steuben.’
The baron had delivered on his word as Reitsch had said he would.
Whereas the main body of Rall’s troops were unprepared when the assault had come, some still asleep, others breakfasting, lamenting Christmas hangovers, few of them at arms, von Steuben and his men were dressed and ready. At the sound of the first artillery, he had led his troops out of the town and straight up to the Assunpink Bridge. There they had set a firm line, their muskets aimed at the town. As Hessians attempted to flee out of Trenton, they were surprised to find their exit route blocked by their fellow mercenaries who, politely, told them to drop their arms and fall in to the rear.
In the town itself, Washington’s battle plans proved to be accurate. In all, the Colonists suffered but three fatalities. As for the mercenaries, by the time their leader Rall, himself fatally wounded, surrendered, they had lost twenty-two men, with around a further hundred injured. The Colonists had captured over two hundred Hessians. It was barely a battle.
And now, at its close, the moment when Washington and von Steuben came face to face.
‘General Washington, I come to you as your honourable servant. Congratulations on your victory this morning. A great victory. You have routed Rall and the shock of this loss will be felt most deeply by Howe and King George alike. I trust it may be the start of an even greater victory, one that brings forth the liberation of these colonies from the tyrant himself. I come to you now to offer both my services and that of the small band of men behind me. They are few in number, but you will find that for quality they cannot be matched. They are especially well trained. The finest troops from the European theatre, using the latest weaponry and tactics. They are a new form of army ready to serve a new form of country.’
‘Baron, I owe yourself and the estimable Frau Reitsch a debt of gratitude. I am not afraid to admit that at first I looked at your plan with scepticism, but you have proved yourselves to be the greatest of friends to the people of these colonies. Our victory today was in no small part aided by both your insights and your constancy in holding back your troops as you promised. I hope you will dine with myself and my fellow officers this evening, and we may plan how best to use you and your forces in the present struggle. But for now, I’m afraid we must return across the Delaware. I had hoped to push on to Princeton, but we lack the forces necessary.’
‘Ah, I take it that not all the crossings were made?’
‘You are correct, sir. General Cadwalader and his forces were unable to make the fording at Bristol, nor General Ewing at the falls below Trenton. As was predicted by Frau Reitsch. Who also informed us we would not require those crossings and we should bring all our forces together at one point. Unfortunately, we failed to heed all her advice and now we find ourselves lacking in sufficient numbers to make further advances. But no matter, we have a scalp for the day and that is more than we had before daybreak or have indeed had for some time.’
‘If I may, sir, I have some thoughts on how you might maximise the weakness of the British and achieve another victory before the year is out.’
‘It will please me to hear your thoughts, Your Excellency. Let us make haste in our return to Newtown for a victory supper! Baron, it would please me if you were to ride alongside me.’
And with that the victorious Washington and his new ally made their way back down the River Road. Watching from a few yards away were Knox and Greene, exhausted by the march and battle.
‘Nat, I was under the impression that we were not going to rely on foreign mercenaries to help win our freedom. Our beloved general appears to have had a change of heart.’
‘Yes. And what thoughts for John Cadwalader? While he was freezing his bollocks off downriver, a Hessian mercenary was taking the plaudits for this victory, and his failure to cross the river is blamed for our inability to press our advantage.’
‘We will have ample opportunity to tease old John. Poor bugger, he will have hated to let Old George down like this. More seriously though, do you share my concern? When a man has proved himself disloyal once, can he ever be trusted? A man comes from Europe pledged to one side and as soon as his feet have landed in our colonies, he pledges both himself and his men to the other.’
Greene lifted his hat and scrubbed at his head. ‘I’ll withhold judgement on this baron for now, Henry, I wish to see a few more scenes of his performance. But I am looking forward to the return of that other supporting actor Horatio Gates. He dallies with Congress, I suppose, waiting on word of our anticipated defeat to agitate for a leading role in the next act. His disappointment is going to be great, but I suspect Old George will demonstrate the wisdom of Solomon and bring him back into his bosom once again.’
‘That fucking viper. I’ll be looking forward to his return if only to hear the variety of excuses he will manage to conjure up between here and Philadelphia. He is the turd in the bathhouse that one.’
‘The what?’
‘The turd in the bathhouse. You only need one turd in the bath and the bathhouse is finished for the day. To my mind, that’s our friend Gates.’
‘What a splendid image, I’ll be using that one, Henry.’
‘Of that I have no doubt, dear Nat, no doubt at all.’
FOURTEEN
The return across the Delaware seemed much easier, although the weather had yet to lift. Men who had drudged through the snow and mud with their faces downward on the way to Trenton, now had them lifted to the skies. Where the march out had been conducted in total silence, now there was singing, joshing and sho
uts, all aided by the brandy discovered in Trenton and liberated for the victors. This despite frostbitten hands, lacerated feet and exhausted bodies.
By the time the main body had reached Newtown, night had fallen, but the snow had ended and the township was lit up by an array of torches. Before the victorious army were the women, children, peddlers and suppliers who were as much a part of the army as the troops themselves, and – in truth – glory seekers who had heard word of the triumph and come running from hamlets and villages in the area to join in the celebrations.
Sarah embraced Hand and O’Leary. Their festivities were ended by a messenger, who asked, ‘Lieutenant Colonel Hand?’
‘That’s no longer my title.’
‘That is who General Washington asked me to collect and bring immediately to the Widow Harris’s house where he is holding a conference.’
For Hand, the meeting at the widow’s house was an entirely different experience from his previous visit. The mood was relaxed. Nathanael Greene lay on a chaise longue, boots off, his hand around a glass of something dark. Hugh Mercer and Henry Knox were in deep conversation with Hanna Reitsch and another German. John Sullivan was involved in a passionate discussion with Washington. As Hand entered, the first to notice him was von Steuben.
‘Colonel Hand, we meet again, in far better circumstances, no?’
The German gave Hand a large clap on the back. ‘General Washington, I am afraid I had to make something of an example of your colonel here. I hope there is no ill feeling towards me on your part, Colonel Hand?’
‘On the contrary, sir. If I should have to suffer a few personal humiliations for our cause to win such a victory as today, then pray, visit more on me!’
‘No, I promise no more humiliations, Colonel!’ replied von Steuben, wagging his finger.
‘And I too must thank you, for ensuring my safe delivery both to the general and to Trenton, Colonel.’ Hanna Reitsch left Knox’s side to approach Hand, extending a hand.
‘Ah, I’m not sure whether I should shake or kiss your hand, Frau Reitsch,’ he replied.
‘Whatever your pleasure may be, sir,’ was her coquettish reply.
‘In the barracks, a handshake seems the only pleasure allowable,’ he said, shaking her hand firmly. ‘But it is I who am indebted to you. Or rather, my dear friend O’Leary, who would have been carried down the Delaware if you had not acted so swiftly.’
‘What’s this, more heroics, Hanna?’ asked von Steuben. ‘She has made a habit of rescuing endangered men, isn’t that so?’
Reitsch looked sternly at him. ‘Only you, dear General.’
‘Do tell us more, Frau Reitsch,’ said Greene, still lounging on the chair. ‘We enjoy stories of heroism among us here, especially so when they are of petticoats saving the breeches.’
‘I would hope that in future, General Greene, many of your American womenfolk would have stories the equal of their men.’
The other German now spoke up, ‘Frau Reitsch is something of a radical when it comes to the rights of women. I am afraid that she and I have some profound disagreements on the issue. While I appreciate there may be among their number a few splendid Amazonians capable of equalling men in their courage and imagination, to my mind, most women’s role in society is to sustain future generations.’
Greene replied, ‘Sir, I’m afraid I have yet to be acquainted.’
‘Doktor Werner Conze, General Greene. I consider myself a philosopher soldier. I believe wars are fought not just in the physical sphere, but also in the mind. We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of those we lead, while at the same time the physical destruction of those who do not agree with us.’
‘If you want to win the hearts and minds of women, Werner,’ Reitsch retorted, ‘you may wish to reflect on how best to achieve that, how we differ from the opposite sex. We are more complex than you men. What works for you does not work for us. Your propaganda is too simplistic for us women.’
‘Propaganda, what does that mean?’ asked Knox.
‘It is a new term we have in Prussia,’ replied Conze smartly. ‘Frau Reitsch should have known better, that it probably has not reached the Americas yet. Put simply, it is the use of words to convince people of the rights of a cause. So you might say that your Thomas Paine is a propagandist for your cause.’
‘Paine. Too much bloody trouble, that man,’ Sullivan shouted. ‘We have to be careful. This revolution of ours at times threatens to rouse the passions of those who might otherwise find it difficult to discover an audience. The Thetford tailor I would put among them.’
‘You are correct, sir,’ enjoined Conze. ‘However, your cause is such that it will – already has – stoked up the fires of those who will look for utopias at this time.’
‘Utopias be damned. We just want our freedom and then to return to our farms and our families. I’ll leave the utopias to those squawking hens in Philadelphia.’
‘Huzzah to that!’ cried Greene, raising his glass.
Washington now took the floor. ‘Now, Hand, Baron von Steuben and myself have been considering what role we might find for you and we have an offer. I have asked the baron if he will accept a commission and lead his troops as an auxiliary to our main body. I have agreed that they may continue to wear their insignia.’
‘This strange insect-like symbol?’ asked Hand.
‘It is called a swastika. We have a sentimental attachment to it. We came together under the swastika. It reminds us of our homeland, the sacrifices both ourselves and our comrades made in the past. I am obliged to the general for forgiving us such sentimentality.’
‘Not at all, Baron. We have plenty of colours and symbols ourselves. As fighting men we understand such sentimentality. Hand, the baron has asked if one of our true patriots could join the unit and he wants you.’
‘Sir, I am greatly honoured, but I must beg that I return to the Riflemen. I have a degree of attachment to them equal to you for your own men. Especially so as I will be returning to the ranks.’
‘Ah, stop the tarrying, Hand. I will be pleased to restore you to Lieutenant Colonel if you accept this role. And Baron von Steuben would also be obliged to accept the Pennsylvanian Riflemen into his unit.’
There was a snort of derision from the direction of Sullivan.
‘Colonel Hand.’ Von Steuben placed his arm around the Irishman’s shoulder, a degree of intimacy noted by all the Colonists in the room. ‘We have a great opportunity to work together to win this damn war and settle the question of America forever. A great opportunity. My men are clever and sharp, they have a degree of military training and knowledge that surpasses those of General Washington’s army. They are the best. But they – and I – lack an understanding of the lay of this land, the villages and towns, the roads and paths, the hidden dangers of the Indians. A coming together such as this will only help both sides. I beg you, help us to help you.’
‘General, how can I refuse? Myself and the Pennsylvanian Riflemen will be pleased to join you and – you must excuse me – what designation do you give your platoon?’
‘Ah, we call ourselves the Stormtroopers.’
At which point Greene stumbled from the chaise longue and raised his glass with a shout that was picked up by the rest of the room: ‘Huzzah for the Stormtroopers!’
FIFTEEN
After the conference with Washington, Hand returned to the tavern where he found O’Leary and Sarah deep into the rum. The mood was raucous, an impromptu band was making mayhem in a corner, the chatter was loud, a smattering of the Hessians already forming close links with the Colonists.
‘Now, will you be joining us fella for a rum or two?’
‘Last time I took to the drink, I killed a man and nearly had myself hanged, Pat. I would be wise to leave off it for now.’
‘Aye, but if you hadn’t done that, we might not have our Trenton victory. And I would never have met the delightful Frau Hanna.’
‘Ed, our Pat is obsessed with this lady. Apparently s
he’s the most beautiful, most tender, most fierce woman in all the colonies. He’s all doe-eyed when it comes to Frau Hanna Reitsch. I’d say he’s lost all his senses,’ Sarah teased him.
‘She’s certainly something different, I’d agree with him on that score. But she can’t be that clever, given that she risked her own life saving this simple oaf’s life and all.’
‘Ach, she’s wonderful, like she’s from a different age like. If all women had her strength and character—’ Pat caught Sarah’s strong and characteristic response; she was not someone who regarded herself as inferior to any man in any way. ‘What I mean is, she takes men as her equal. Like yourself, but with more . . . I don’t know with more confidence perhaps. Perhaps all European women are like her, forthright and bold. I don’t know, but she’s different. Ach, what am I saying? You’d like her. When you meet her, you’ll see what I mean.’
‘I’ve had this the past two hours, Ed. I would be insulted if I didn’t think our Pat was drunk with unspent passion for this madame.’
‘He hasn’t mentioned she’s quite the looker as well then?’
‘Oh, is that the case? Now you mention it . . . no.’
‘I can’t deny she’s a right honey. That’s true. But I was first attracted to her character.’ Ed and Sarah burst into laughter. ‘No, listen, that’s true as the day is long.’
‘So do you have designs on her honour then, Pat?’ Sarah could barely control her laughter.
