OT: Washington Crossing Reenactment
- Thread starter WhiteBus
- Start date
You would think by now , the hessian’s won’t be surprised .
Wednesday, December 25, 2019 at 12 PM – 3 PM
Next Week · 32–46°F Partly Cloudy
Washington Crossing Historic Park
1112 River Rd, Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania 18977
- Hosted by Washington Crossing Historic Park
Join fellow patriots on the banks of the Delaware River to watch the 67th annual reenactment of George Washington’s daring 1776 Christmas night crossing.
During the event at Washington Crossing Historic Park (PA), several hundred reenactors in Continental military dress listen to an inspiring speech by General Washington and then row across the river in replica Durham boats.
The reenactment is set for Wednesday, December 25. The crossing will begin at 1:00 PM, but early arrival is strongly recommended in order to get a good spot on the viewing line. Admission is free!
Looking for information on the First Crossing on December 8? Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/events/523726711756814
Hessian had spys and heard there was an attack coming but when a minor assault began (unauthorized by Washington) on the outskirts of Trenton, they thought that was it and went back to drinking and resting so when the real attack started (hours later than planned) the Hessians were caught by surprise.
Other excellent books about this (besides 1777 by McCollogh)
“Valiant Ambition” by Nathan Philbrick (a very detailed history about the revolutionary war, this is book 2 of a trilogy)
“To Try Men’s Souls” by Newt Gingrich et.al. (a more readable historical fiction that details Washington’s retreat across NJ, with a stop in New Brunswick where the army was able to escape because a 19 year old Alexander Hamilton held off the British with cannons perched on the high ground of our campus. The book continues with the army making it across the Delaware and the attack on Trenton on Christmas Day in 1776.)
interesting tidbit...Washington needed a spark to turn the tide of war after the humiliating defeat in New York so he devised his attack plans on Trenton BUT he also knew he had to do something because most of his troops were due to leave the army on January 1st 1777. The usual enlistment period was only 6 months and many were due to leave.
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Hey @Tango Two. Let's start a new 2019 thread for the Crossing. This one is getting long in the tooth. Sort of like a weather thread
Do they row across the Delaware this year or choose to march over the Wash Cross Bridge?
They cross the river depending on river conditions. They no longer cross the Bridge as a complete unit anymore if they can't row across.
Weather conditions look like a boat crossing
The Crossing Reenactment | Washington Crossing Historic Park
Join fellow citizens from around the country for a Bucks County tradition featuring George Washington himself and several hundred reenactors in Continental military dress. Watch Washington lead his troops across the river in replica Durham boats.
Washington Crossing Historic Park
Three days until the premiere! At 10 AM on Christmas, stop by our Facebook page to watch the premiere of a short film featuring the crossing reenactment. We filmed this short movie right here at the park with some dedicated reenactors.
Three days until the premiere! At 10 AM on Christmas, stop by our Facebook page to watch the premiere of a short film featuring the crossing reenactment. We filmed this short movie right here at the park with some dedicated reenactors.
Steve Bannon did a great show today about the history of battles on Christmas. He had Patrick K. O'Donnell on (author of "Washington's Immortals"). They begin with Washington's Immortal's sacrificing themselves in Brooklyn, and then cover the crossing of the Delaware ( the 14th Continental Regiment - the men of Marblehead were key to all the NY/NJ river crossings) and the NJ battles like Trenton.
From 5:00 in
From 5:00 in
2 chances to see George Washington’s annual Delaware River crossing in 2021
2 chances to see George Washington’s annual Delaware River crossing in 2021
Each December, thousands gather on the banks of the Delaware River to watch the reenactment of George Washington’s daring 1776 Christmas night river crossing.
2 chances to see George Washington’s annual Delaware River crossing in 2021
2 chances to see George Washington’s annual Delaware River crossing in 2021
Each December, thousands gather on the banks of the Delaware River to watch the reenactment of George Washington’s daring 1776 Christmas night river crossing.www.nj.com
My wife and I went to this on the 12th. Well worth the trip. Pro tip, pay cash to get in rather than reserving passes online. The line to confirm your online pass was several hundred people long. The cash line was “walk right up, pay, then go in”.
Let’s hope Wake Forest drinks heavily the night before the game!
Hope you were all good in the storm. We loved in Lambertville for 5 years on n. Union. We moved out of town a few years ago and our old house got smacked in the storm.
I have lived here my whole life and I’ve never been to the reenactment. This was going to be the year but going to put it off another year due to the weather 😂
Thanks. Made out ok in the storm compared to many. I’m up the hill a bit….technically West Amwell, but with a Lambertville mailing address.
It's stopped raining and it's not freezing cold. Doesn't get much better than this.
Sorry for the long message - non-history nerds feel free to ignore.
As hokie as it sounds, one cannot overstate the amazingness (new word) of that attack. The army was at its wits end. Enlistments running out. Great defeats had been suffered in Brooklyn and Manhattan (esp the horrible defeat at Ft Washington - for which GW bore much blame).
Then the army (or what was left of it after the previous defeats) was surprised by the British crossing of the Hudson and their amazing climb up the Palisades while GW slept at Hackensack and Nathaniel Greene and the bulk of the army slept at Ft Lee. When they found out the British were about the attack they had to flee Ft Lee and leave most of their food, clothing, ammunition and other equipment behind and start the long trek south through NJ (I believe then still called “East Jersey" (at least informally) with the Brits and Hessians in hot pursit.
The Brits almost caught GW and his army at New Brunswick as Alexander Hamilton's self-raised artillery company held them off across the Raritan form his positions on what is now Old Queens campus. The army finally reached the safety of PA with the Delaware as a natural defense barrier. Exhausted, hungry and with minimal clothing to fight the cold (many had no shoes) and equipment.
Everyone was cold and in despair and enlistments were running out in the next few days and GW knew that any engagement with the the enemy could be fatal to his army (there remained other American troops in the highlands of NY state and elsewhere - but the heart and soul of the fight was the leadership of GW. Others vying for command like Charles Lee and Horatio Gates had personal agendas, GW had none. he was already wealthy and needed no glory. He just believed in the cause and was at the forefront of most engagements risking it all. His personal bravery, as corny sa it sounds, cannot be overstated.
He was an imperfect military decision maker and if he failed this time the members of Congress might have been subject to capture and arrest (if the usually indolent General Howe decided to go get them as they fled Philly in the wake of the American retreat). And while in the end we would have become independent at some point, the importance to me of the miracle at Trenton was that it kept Washington as the CinC and made sure that the amazing group of Colonial leaders - one of the rare groups of leaders who were both men of both ideas and action (sorry, but no women involved then) and also men of high intelligence, vision and to a large extent men of ideas and not of self-interest. Who knows what this country would have been like had that group been eliminated from the independence activities and down the road some other group came in that had none of the key qualities of this original revolutionary group.
If Washington had not crossed the Delaware that day and taken Trenton in what was arguably one of the most impactful in the long term coup d' main attacks in military history, we might be a very different country today. And what he did a few days later in the second battle of Trenton was in many ways almost as amazing.
As hokie as it sounds, one cannot overstate the amazingness (new word) of that attack. The army was at its wits end. Enlistments running out. Great defeats had been suffered in Brooklyn and Manhattan (esp the horrible defeat at Ft Washington - for which GW bore much blame).
Then the army (or what was left of it after the previous defeats) was surprised by the British crossing of the Hudson and their amazing climb up the Palisades while GW slept at Hackensack and Nathaniel Greene and the bulk of the army slept at Ft Lee. When they found out the British were about the attack they had to flee Ft Lee and leave most of their food, clothing, ammunition and other equipment behind and start the long trek south through NJ (I believe then still called “East Jersey" (at least informally) with the Brits and Hessians in hot pursit.
The Brits almost caught GW and his army at New Brunswick as Alexander Hamilton's self-raised artillery company held them off across the Raritan form his positions on what is now Old Queens campus. The army finally reached the safety of PA with the Delaware as a natural defense barrier. Exhausted, hungry and with minimal clothing to fight the cold (many had no shoes) and equipment.
Everyone was cold and in despair and enlistments were running out in the next few days and GW knew that any engagement with the the enemy could be fatal to his army (there remained other American troops in the highlands of NY state and elsewhere - but the heart and soul of the fight was the leadership of GW. Others vying for command like Charles Lee and Horatio Gates had personal agendas, GW had none. he was already wealthy and needed no glory. He just believed in the cause and was at the forefront of most engagements risking it all. His personal bravery, as corny sa it sounds, cannot be overstated.
He was an imperfect military decision maker and if he failed this time the members of Congress might have been subject to capture and arrest (if the usually indolent General Howe decided to go get them as they fled Philly in the wake of the American retreat). And while in the end we would have become independent at some point, the importance to me of the miracle at Trenton was that it kept Washington as the CinC and made sure that the amazing group of Colonial leaders - one of the rare groups of leaders who were both men of both ideas and action (sorry, but no women involved then) and also men of high intelligence, vision and to a large extent men of ideas and not of self-interest. Who knows what this country would have been like had that group been eliminated from the independence activities and down the road some other group came in that had none of the key qualities of this original revolutionary group.
If Washington had not crossed the Delaware that day and taken Trenton in what was arguably one of the most impactful in the long term coup d' main attacks in military history, we might be a very different country today. And what he did a few days later in the second battle of Trenton was in many ways almost as amazing.
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Well said! Most people do not know about the 2nd battle and what Washington and his army were able to do that night, after the battle, to escape from the British who had plans on finishing them off the next morning.
Right - brilliant move after thrashing the British that day. Similar to the escape from Brooklyn Heights overnight aided by the miracle of morning fog on the East River. Of course, British General Henry Clinton repaid Washington in kind when his army snuck away in the night time from Freehold to Sandy Hook after the June 1778 Battle of Monmouth.
With the nudge from Whitebus and like the great General Washington I was able to rally the troops. Like the brave soldiers that day we braved the ferocious weather and made the trip today. Definitely something everyone should see, even if my family wouldn’t let me start a USA chant. Merry Christmas!
Nice! And they crossed with ease. So how did everyone enjoy it? Yes the ferocious 55 degree late December weather was brutal. A smaller then normal crowd this year which is understandable.
We all enjoyed it. Walked over the bridge form the NJ side and watched from the southern end of the park. Would probably go another year and get closer to the ceremony spot but this was perfect for the last minute nature of the trip
Yes. Next year get to the PA side around 11:00/11:30 and walk through the events. Watch the groups assemble and march to the long boats.
Join us from noon to 3 PM on Sunday, December 25 for this Bucks County tradition.
The actual crossing begins at about 1 PM, but you'll want to arrive early for a good spot on the viewing line. Admission is free!
Washington Crossing Historic Park is located at 1112 River Road (the intersection of Routes 532 and 32) in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. Parking will be clearly marked, and directions can be found at: https://bit.ly/3FoocEL Please note that Washington Crossing Bridge will be closed on Christmas Day.
People who need special assistance or accommodations to attend should call the Visitor Center at 215-493-4076.
The 70th annual Christmas Day crossing reenactment is tomorrow! Over the years, people from all over have come to Washington Crossing Historic Park (PA) to witness this important moment in American history come alive.
The actual crossing begins at about 1 PM, but you'll want to arrive early for a good spot on the viewing line. Admission is free!
Washington Crossing Historic Park is located at 1112 River Road (the intersection of Routes 532 and 32) in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. Parking will be clearly marked, and directions can be found at: https://bit.ly/3FoocEL Please note that Washington Crossing Bridge will be closed on Christmas Day.
People who need special assistance or accommodations to attend should call the Visitor Center at 215-493-4076.
The 70th annual Christmas Day crossing reenactment is tomorrow! Over the years, people from all over have come to Washington Crossing Historic Park (PA) to witness this important moment in American history come alive.
I rarely miss this event but the bitter cold and wind has canceled the plans for my group. The beauty of this event isn't just the crossing itself. Normally spend hours there. It's impossible to stay outside for hours in this weather
For all of you history buffs or those looking for something great to do on Christmas Day before you gather with your family and friends, just a reminder that Washington Crossing Reenactment takes place on both sides of the Delaware River. Its a wonderful experience and one many of you should put on your bucket list. And with the weather forecast looking great. (with no input from #s) this year should be a great day to go. Crossing begins at 1pm. However on the PA side festivities start at least an hour earlier and are worth the experience!
Anyway with my business of selling craft beers, the next few days I won't have much time to check out this board much so let me wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.
Temps should be historically accurate this year, no?
Weak. If George Washington had that attitude we'd all still be speaking English. Get out there!
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