"For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:37
George Washington's Christmas Day attack is one of the most dramatic and strategically decisive moments in American history, and it unfolded on the night of December 25–26, 1776, when the American cause was on the brink of collapse.
By late December 1776, Washington's Continental Army was shattered, enlistments were expiring, morale was extremely low, and many believed the Revolution was essentially lost. British and Hessian forces were comfortably settled into winter quarters in New Jersey, assuming that no major military action would occur until spring.
On Christmas night, Washington led approximately 2,400 men across the ice-choked Delaware River in a blinding snowstorm, with floating ice so thick that artillery nearly could not be moved across. Several supporting crossings failed completely, meaning Washington attacked with fewer men than planned. The troops marched nine miles through freezing wind, sleet, and snow, many without proper boots, leaving blood in the snow from frostbitten feet. Yet they pressed on.
Just after dawn on December 26, Washington launched a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. The Hessians, commanded by Colonel Johann Rall, were caught entirely off guard. Within about 45 minutes, the Americans had secured the town. Roughly 900 Hessian soldiers were captured, along with large stores of weapons, ammunition, and supplies. The Americans suffered no combat deaths in the battle itself, though several later died from exposure.
This single victory electrified the colonies. It shattered the myth of British invincibility, restored public confidence, revived enlistments, and proved that the Continental Army could defeat professional European troops.
Many historians agree that without Trenton, the Revolution may well have failed. Washington followed this success with another victory at Princeton only days later, cementing a complete reversal of momentum.
The symbolism of the date has echoed ever since. Washington did not choose Christmas merely by accident; he chose it precisely because the enemy believed it was unthinkable that a major offensive would occur then. The moment became part of America's founding narrative, where the darkest hour was answered by courage, sacrifice, and a turn that many early Americans openly described as providential.
"For the LORD is righteous in all His ways & gracious in all His works." Psalm 145:17
America was declared in July 1776, but it was saved at Christmas 1776.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. That was the legal birth certificate of the United States. But declaring independence and actually surviving long enough to become a nation are two very different things.
After July, the Revolution went badly. Washington suffered devastating defeats in New York, lost thousands of men, and was forced into retreat across New Jersey. By December, enlistments were expiring, desertions were rising, morale was collapsing, and many believed the rebellion would fail before the new year.
If the Continental Army had dissolved in December—as it was on the verge of doing—the Declaration would have become a historical footnote rather than the foundation of a nation.
That is why the Christmas crossing of the Delaware and the Trenton victory are so pivotal. They did not "found" America legally, but they rescued the Revolution at the moment it was dying. The Trenton–Princeton campaign is widely regarded as the turning point that kept the Declaration alive long enough for independence to actually be achieved.
So in a very real historical sense:
July 4 gave America its name.
Christmas 1776 gave America its future.
