Read Online The General's Christmas by C. Metzinger - Free Book Online Page B

They won’t
see us coming until we reach that ridge. Trenton is just beyond the
outpost. Everything seems quiet down there.”
    “Then you saw no Hessian scouts riding
about?”
    “No, sir. They must be
indoors, staying out of this storm,” the scout
confirmed.
    Washington nodded in satisfaction and turned
to General Greene.
    “Tell Colonel Knox to bring the artillery
forward for the attack. I’ll give the signal to advance.”
    “Yes, sir!” Greene replied
enthusiastically.
    As he galloped away,
Washington looked back at the men, and signaled the officers to
prepare for battle. They rode among the men passing the word
quietly as the heavy artillery was brought to the front. The
soldiers loaded their weapons.
    When Washington deemed that everyone was in
position and ready, he gave the signal to advance.
    “Perhaps you should wait here, General,”
suggested General Greene, “Until we’ve secured the area.”
    Washington shook his head, “I’ve come this
far with my regiment and I shall finish with them.”
    He started his horse and
galloped across the wide expanse through blowing and drifting snow.
As they moved across the snowfield, Washington looked back at his
men. Whatever fatigue or infirmities they suffered on the march
were now absent. Their faces showed determination, ready and eager
to fight.
    He reached the end of the
snowfield overlooking Trenton. A cooper’s shop and barn, now used
as a Hessian outpost, lay covered in snow.
     
    Inside the cooper’s shop, a
few of the Hessian guards warmed themselves by the fire. They had
been out in the storm for several hours, looking for Stephen’s
raiding party that had ridden off after wounding several men. They
had chased them east, lost sight of them in the storm, and then
returned back to the outpost. They poured themselves cups of hot
coffee. One man awoke when the others came in. He took his time
getting dressed and pulling on his coat and boots. It was time to
visit the outhouse.
    As soon as he opened the
door, the bitter wind flung ice and snow in his face. He put his
head down and pulled the door shut behind him. It was only a ten
yards to the outhouse, but as he walked, he felt rather than heard,
a low, muffled vibration. The rumble of horses’ hooves galloping in
snow intensified. He looked up.
    A line of men on horseback
crested over the ridge. The rider in front was a large man with a
cloak billowing out behind him as he rode. Through thick snowfall,
the Hessian began to see others, some on horses, and others on foot
carrying long muskets with bayonets. He couldn’t tell who they were
at first, but as the big rider came nearer, he recognized an
American uniform.
    “Der fiend! Der
fiend!” he shouted, running back to the
outpost. He burst through the door, announcing the
enemy.
    Everyone scrambled for their weapons at once.
They took positions behind the cooper’s shop and opened fire.
    They soon realized that this
was no small raiding party, but a full regiment. They fired and the
Americans fired back. The regiment fanned out to surround the
outpost, and the Hessians fell back, retreating behind nearby
houses. They fired several shots but missed their running
targets.
    A strangled cry erupted from
one of the Hessian guards as he fell back, spurting crimson over
the white snow. The Americans moved closer, shooting at will.
Another Hessian went down before the others fell back again,
running for the safety of the town.
    Washington told Colonel Knox
to position his artillery at the top of the hill at the north end
of Trenton, where King Street and Queen Street converged. As they
positioned the artillery, he sent foot soldiers into the town. From
the upstairs windows of abandoned houses, they had clear views of
the street below.
    In the occupied houses,
women grabbed their children and hid. Tory men took up their
muskets to fight the enemy. A woman fired from her upstairs
window.
    The American cannons
exploded, and iron balls flew through the