Holding Court is a series by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City.
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By Joe Latwin
It had been a terrible year so far. They had been ambushed in Brooklyn and forced to sneak away in the night. They were almost trapped in lower Manhattan before fleeing north. Their leaders fled across the Hudson only to watch 2,800 fellows captured on Harlem Heights by Colonel Johann Rall’s Hessian troops. They retreated to White Plains, where they were unable to stop the King’s troops. They were chased across and out of New Jersey. Their enlistment commitments were expiring and winter had arrived. They were without winter gear, without food and supplies, and without financial support. They retreated to Pennsylvania. The string of defeats, harsh oncoming winter, and ending terms of enlistment would decimate their numbers. All they had fought for and risked would be lost unless something big happened.
Their leader, George Washington, called a meeting of his officers and came up with a plan. John Honeyman knew Washington was looking for him. Honeyman saw Continental soldiers nearby and a wandering cow. Honeyman chased the cow shouting and cracking his whip. The Continental soldiers followed Honeyman. When they caught him, Honeyman protested that he was only a poor cattle dealer hunting meat to sell to the Hessians. They bound him with his own rope and brought him to Washington’s headquarters and to Washington. Washington thanked the troopers for their accomplishment, then gave an order. This man was to be left alone with him and guards posted outside with instructions to shoot to kill if the spy tried to escape.
Honeyman and Washington were both veterans of the French & Indian War having served in the British Army. They had met several times before this. Honeyman would become a spy for Washington. Whenever Honeyman thought he had important information, he would let himself be captured by Washington’s outposts.
Honeyman said he saw no signs of boats being built or of any coming overland. Colonel Rall, in command of the Hessians holding Trenton for the British, hadn’t bothered to build fortifications. The Hessians were planning an all-out Christmas party. Honeyman went to see Colonel Rall, he assured Rall, he had juicy information: the Continental army across the river was hopelessly ill equipped, disorganized and on the brink of mutiny. With the British put at ease, Washington planned his attack. He would cross the Delaware in three columns and simultaneously arrive in a coordinated attack. Before adjourning the officers’ meeting, Washington wrote a note, “Victory or death.” That night, Washington crossed the frozen Delaware (you’ve seen the painting). The progress of his troops could be tracked by the blood in the snow, as many lacked adequate shoes.
Colonel Rall was partying when he was given a note indicating they had spotted Washington’s column, but Rall didn’t look at it and shoved it in his pocket.
Hours behind schedule, Washington briefly considered calling off the attack. Although the sun was up, the army’s movements were hidden by a snowstorm. Around 8:00 a.m. on Christmas Day, the first shots were fired on the outskirts of Trenton, and American forces poured into the town. The Hessians quickly assembled in the streets, but American artillery batteries fired on them, forcing them to break ranks. The Hessians tried to escape, but they were cut off forcing more than 900 Hessians to surrender, and be taken as prisoners. Their commanding officer, Colonel Rall, was mortally wounded. Two Americans were wounded — Captain William Washington and Captain (and future President) James Monroe.
Trenton was the first major battlefield victory for Washington in the war, and it came at a time when American morale was at a low point. News of the shocking victory inspired men to volunteer for their local militias and enlist in the Continental Army and not only saved the Continental Army but also the American Cause.
We owe these patriots for enabling our country and our freedoms by spending their Christmas in such difficult and dangerous conditions and more.
