why was the cause of the battle of trenton?

Answer 1

The Battle of Trenton was a battle which took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War after Washington's crossing of the Delaware River. General George Washington led the main Continental Army across the river to surprise and virtually eliminate the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. This overwhelming victory helped to preserve the Continental Army and set the stage for the Battle of Princeton the following week.

Trenton was garrisoned by three regiments of Hessian soldiers commanded by Colonel Johann Rall for a total of about 1,400 men. Washington's force of about 2,400 attacked in two columns: Major General Nathanael Greene's division from the north, and Major General John Sullivan's division from the west. A third division never made it across the river because of the weather but was supposed to attack from the south.

The common assertion that the Hessians were inebriated or otherwise unprepared for battle from Christmastime celebrations is likely untrue. Instead, the American victory was mainly because of the gathering of intelligence and the spreading of misinformation by John Honeyman, a spy enlisted by Washington. He was responsible for assessing the strength of the Hessian defenders and for convincing them that the Americans were demoralized and in no condition to attack. Additionally, the weather, though proving somewhat of an obstacle for the crossing of the Delaware, served to make the surprise of the attack complete. Normally, the Hessians sent out a patrol to check for nearby enemy forces, but they were not sent out that night because of the storm. The final factor that seems to have been most responsible for the completeness of their defeat was the defending troops' perception that the Americans would not stand up to a concerted attack.[

Answer 2

After being driven out of New York by the British and forced to retreat to the West bank of the Delaware during the late summer of 1776, the American cause was at a low ebb. In the harsh winter Washington was faced with the annual crisis of the expiry of the Continental Army’s period of enlistment. He resolved to attack the Hessian position at Trenton on the extreme southern end of the over extended British line along the Delaware, before his army dispersed.

Answer 3

Washington and the Continental army surprised the Hessian garrison at Trenton and destroyed them, preserving his army and set the stage for the battle of Princeton a week later.

Answer 4

the battle took place because Washington knew that his troops enlistments were up at the first of the year and he needed to have a victory to keep them there that was the main reason

another he knew that troops would bed down for the winter and he knew they could surprise and catch the Hessians of guard which was a miracle in it's own the Hessians were the best back then