General Washington's Role In The Revolutionary War

Words: 638
Pages: 3

To the citizens of colonial America, December 25, 1776 was just another joyous Christmas holiday. As for the colonial army, however, it marked one of the most crucial events of the American Revolution; the crossing of the Delaware river into the town of Trenton. The victory at Trenton proved to major turning point of the Revolutionary War as it played a key role throughout the term of the war. The battle, however, was not an easy one and it came with its fair share of dilemmas that threatened the desired outcome of the plan. In the movie The Crossing, the battle strategy for the attack on Trent proved to be a tremendous onus for General George Washington due to the poor conditions of his soldiers, the lack of resources as well as the high risk of the battle plan failing.
A major issue General Washington faced was the inadequate conditions of his men. The climate in Delaware was fiendishly cold and the snow was aplenty. As a result, illness quickly swept through General Washington’s army, leaving less than two thousand soldiers fit for battle. Those who luckily evaded disease were in no better conditions as they were horrendously malnourished and plagued with exhaustion. On top of this, many of Washington’s
…show more content…
Next to having soldiers to fight, efficient weaponry is an essential and General Washington was dangerously lacking. The colonial army in Delaware only had eighteen pieces of functioning artillery, such as cannons. The threat of a surprise ambush by the British was the fear of many, as they knew they would be badly defeated. The army even lacked the most of basic of supplies such as food, clothing, and boats. To compensate, the army often had to commandeer supplies from local citizens. The war effort was still unpopular to many, especially with the frequent losses. With how the colonial army was seizing property and materials, it did nothing to boost