8. Trenton was a small battle which provided the Americans a major victory
Ewing’s failure to cross the Delaware left open the possibility for the Hessians to retreat from the attack via the bridge over Assunpink Creek. When Washington attacked Hessian units blocking the River Road moved to assist the units in making a fighting withdrawal before the Americans. Sullivan’s column arrived on the River Road and used it to fight through the town to seize the bridge, trapping the Hessians between two American columns. Washington sent some units to block the Princeton Turnpike and the last escape route was closed. The fighting was sharp, some of it house-to-house, but after American artillery was set up and in action on Trenton’s streets the Hessians were forced to attempt to reform in the fields outside of town. Colonel Rall fell, mortally wounded, though he survived long enough to surrender. He passed later that night.
The Hessians lost 22 dead, 83 wounded, and 896 taken prisoner. The Americans had two dead and five wounded, among them future President James Monroe. American troops captured all of the Hessian’s stores, including over 1,000 muskets, bayonets, cannon, and badly needed gunpowder. They also captured the Hessian’s food stores, tents, shoes and boots, uniform coats and other clothing, and a large supply of rum and beer. Unfortunately, some of the celebrating Americans broke into the latter before Washington had it under guard, leading to several more men falling into the Delaware on the return trip. By midday on December 28, all of the Americans, their prisoners, and the captured supplies were back on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, ferried there by the Marblehead men and their supporters. Washington immediately began planning further operations, while the British reacted in shock.