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George Washington was fighting to set this country free. But the army that the King of England sent to fight him was stronger than Washington's army. Washington was beaten and driven out of Brooklyn. Then he had to leave New York. After that, he marched away into New Jersey to save his army from being taken. At last, he crossed the Delaware River. Here he was safe for a while.

Some of the Hessian soldiers that the king had hired to fight against the Americans came to Trenton. Trenton is on the Delaware River.

Washington and his men were on the other side of the Delaware River from the Hessians. Washington's men were discouraged. They had been driven back all the way from Brooklyn. It was winter, and they had no warm houses to stay in. They had not even warm clothes. They were dressed in old clothes that people had given them. Some of them were barefooted in this cold weather.

The Hessians and other soldiers of the king were waiting for the river to freeze over. Then they would march across on the ice. They meant to fight Washington once more, and break up his army. But Washington was thinking about something too.

He was waiting for Christmas. He knew that the Hessian soldiers on the other side of the river would eat and drink a great deal on Christmas Day.

The afternoon of Christmas came. The Hessians were singing and drinking in Trenton. But Washington was marching up the river bank. Some of his barefoot men left blood marks on the snow as they marched.

The men and cannons were put into flat boats. These boats were pushed across the river with poles. There were many great pieces of ice in the river. But all night long the flat boats were pushed across and then back again for more men. It was three o'clock on the morning after Christmas when the last Americans crossed the river. It was hailing and snowing, and it was very cold. Two or three of the soldiers were frozen to death.

It was eight o'clock in the morning when Washington got to Trenton. The Hessians were sleeping soundly. The sound of the American drums waked them. They jumped out of their beds. They ran into the streets. They tried to fight the Americans.

But it was too late. Washington had already taken their cannons. His men were firing these at the Hessians. The Hessians ran into the fields to get away. But the Americans caught them.

The battle was soon over. Washington had taken nine hundred prisoners.

This was called the battle of Trenton. It gave great joy to all the Americans. It was Washington's Christmas gift to the country.

Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

George Washington and his men warred with a larger, stronger British army and were defeated in New York. Washington retreated to New Jersey and crossed the Delaware River. The Hessian soldiers hired by the British were on the other side of the river from Washington in Trenton, New Jersey. The Hessians were waiting for the river to freeze so they could march over the ice and fight Washington. Washington decided to attack them first. He waited until Christmas, when the Hessians would eat and drink and make merry until late in the night. The Hessians awoke Christmas morning to the sound of Washington's drums. The Hessians tried to fight, but it was too late. Washington took their cannons and won the battle of Trenton.

Vocabulary

Hessian: A German mercenary serving in the British forces during the American Revolution.
Mercenary: A professional soldier paid to serve in a foreign army.
Trenton: The capital city of the US state of New Jersey.
Drums (War): A drum beaten as a summons to war and to communicate other messages.

Concepts

In the story, on Christmas morning, Washington woke the Hessians with the sound of drums, calling them to battle. In the Revolutionary War, the army used drummer boys.

Facts about drummer boys and military communication:

  1. Until the 1800s, it was common to recruit young boys to drum on the battlefield.
  2. Those boys were called 'drummer boys.'
  3. The drummers played different beats or patterns to communicate to the troops, including when it was time for dinner or when it was time to fight the enemy.
  4. Drums in war were replaced by the bugle. The bugle was replaced by the radio. Today, militaries communicate using radios, phone landlines, cell phones, the Internet, and satellite communications.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Act Out the Story

  • Pretend to be a drummer boy for Washington's Army.
  • Using your hands as drumsticks and a table as your drum, create at least three unique beats to signal different things.
  • For example, a fast beat might mean it is time to eat lunch and a slow beat might mean you need to get a drink of water.

Activity 3: Color the Story   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 22 of 'History Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Activity 4: Color the Story   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 23 of 'History Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Activity 5: Study the Story Picture

  • Study the picture below of Washington crossing the Delaware River to fight the Hessians in Trenton. Zoom in to see the details.
  • Find George Washington (the man standing in the nearest boat with his foot up).
  • There is one other man standing in Washington's boat. What is he holding? (An American flag.)
  • How do you know from the river that it is winter in the painting? (There is ice in the river.)
  • What is the man at the front of the boat doing? (Using his foot/oar to push ice out of the way and clear a path for the boat through the water.)

Activity 6: Map the Story

  • In the chapter, it mentions fighting in the states of New York and New Jersey. Find New York (NY) and New Jersey (NJ) on the map below.

Activity 7: Map the Story

  • Zoom in and study the map of New Jersey below.
  • The Delaware River drains into the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Find the outlet of Delaware River (labeled 'Delaware Riv.' in blue).
  • Trace the river up to the red star marking Trenton, capital city of New Jersey. Note that the river runs along the border of New Jersey, dividing it from Pennsylvania.

Review

Question 1

Why did Washington's army leave New York?
1 / 5

Answer 1

Washington's army was defeated in battle and had to retreat.
1 / 5

Question 2

Why did Washington attack the Hessians on Christmas morning?
2 / 5

Answer 2

The Hessians had been up late the night before, drinking and celebrating. They were not expecting Washington's attack.
2 / 5

Question 3

Why was the fight called 'The Battle of Trenton?'
3 / 5

Answer 3

The battle took place in the city of Trenton.
3 / 5

Question 4

Who won The Battle of Trenton?
4 / 5

Answer 4

Washington's Army defeated the Hessians.
4 / 5

Question 5

The title of this chapter is 'Washington's Christmas Gift.' Who received the gift? Would you want a similar gift?
5 / 5

Answer 5

The Hessians received Washington's gift of a defeat. You probably would not want this Christmas gift.
5 / 5

  1. Why did Washington's army leave New York? Washington's army was defeated in battle and had to retreat.
  2. Why did Washington attack the Hessians on Christmas morning? The Hessians had been up late the night before, drinking and celebrating. They were not expecting Washington's attack.
  3. Why was the fight called 'The Battle of Trenton?' The battle took place in the city of Trenton.
  4. Who won The Battle of Trenton? Washington's Army defeated the Hessians.
  5. The title of this chapter is 'Washington's Christmas Gift.' Who received the gift? Would you want a similar gift? The Hessians received Washington's gift of a defeat. You probably would not want this Christmas gift.

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