When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few.
January 7, 1777 2nd Battle of Trenton
On New Year’s Day, Washington’s force of 5,000 massed again in Trenton. The next day Cornwallis arrived with an army 5,500. After skirmishes at the American lines and three attempts to cross the bridge at Assunpink Creek, Cornwallis relented for the day, assuming he had Washington trapped.
That night, Washington deployed 500 men to keep the campfires going while the rest of his troops made a nighttime march north to Princeton. To keep their movement secret, torches were extinguished and wagon wheels muffled in heavy cloth. At dawn on January 3, 1777, Cornwallis woke to find that his opponent had disappeared, while Washington’s men were nearing the end of their 12-mile march to Princeton.
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 