Qualla: George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River https://qualla.com/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:16 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/r/4/v/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River https://qualla.com/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River: Introduction https://qualla.com/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river/ Photo credit Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0. The password was "Victory or Death." It was not a slogan dreamed up for morale - it was the literal situation facing George Washington and his Continental Army on the night of December 25, 1776. After months of devastating defeats across New York and New Jersey, with enlistments expiring and soldiers deserting by the day, Washington staked everything on a single audacious operation: a nighttime crossing of the ice-choked Delaware River in the teeth of a nor'easter, followed by a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton. The plan was so reckless that two of the three planned supporting crossings never made it across. Washington's column pressed on alone.

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Image: Kenneth C. Zirkel | CC BY 4.0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/r/4/v/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-wp/dr4v-george-washingtons-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River: A Revolution on the Brink https://qualla.com/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river/ Photo credit Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0. By December 1776, the American cause looked finished. The Continental Army had been driven from Long Island, Manhattan, and then chased entirely across New Jersey by British and Hessian forces. Washington's troops were starving, poorly equipped, and shrinking fast - enlistments f...

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Image: Famartin | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/r/4/v/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-wp/dr4v-george-washingtons-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-a-revolution-on-the-brink.mp3 0:06 2 full George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River: Christmas Night on the River https://qualla.com/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river/ Photo credit Thomas Sully, Public domain. At 4 p.m. on December 25, Washington's 2,400 troops assembled at McConkey's Ferry in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They carried three days' rations and fresh musket flints. Even officers and musicians were ordered to carry weapons. The crossing fell to Henry Knox, Washington's chie...

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Image: Thomas Sully | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/r/4/v/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-wp/dr4v-george-washingtons-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-christmas-night-on-the-river.mp3 0:06 3 full George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River: The Blow That Changed Everything https://qualla.com/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river/ Photo credit John Trumbull, Public domain. Washington split his force into two columns for the nine-mile march to Trenton. He personally led one along Pennington Road with General Greene; General Sullivan took the other along River Road. Meanwhile, the Hessians had spent the preceding days exhausted by constant skirmishin...

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Image: John Trumbull | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/r/4/v/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-wp/dr4v-george-washingtons-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-the-blow-that-changed-everything.mp3 0:06 4 full George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River: Victory Painted and Remembered https://qualla.com/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river/ Photo credit Zeete, CC BY-SA 3.0. Emmanuel Leutze's 1851 painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware" cemented the crossing in the American imagination - Washington standing heroically in the prow of a boat, flag streaming behind him. The painting is more inspirational than accurate, but its emotional truth endure...

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Image: Zeete | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/r/4/v/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-wp/dr4v-george-washingtons-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-victory-painted-and-remembered.mp3 0:06 5 full George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River: The River That Turned a War https://qualla.com/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river/ Photo credit Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Delaware River at the crossing point is deceptively tranquil in summer - a broad, gentle waterway flowing between wooded Pennsylvania hills and the flat New Jersey shore. In late December, it transforms. Ice collects along the banks and drifts in sheets across the current. St...

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Image: Famartin | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/r/4/v/george-washington-s-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-wp/dr4v-george-washingtons-crossing-of-the-delaware-river-the-river-that-turned-a-war.mp3 0:06 6 full