Meet the American who rowed Washington across the Delaware on Christmas, sailor-soldier John Glover

Fox News ^ | 12/22/23 | Kerry J. Byrne

[SunkenCiv]

The A&E adaptation of the novel “The Crossing” is up on YouTube, btw, fun, some overacting, some compliance with actual events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jgEMrK1lcM

Same show, Battle of Trenton excerpt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwj7irGyblk

Battle of Trenton (Mt Vernon page)

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/battle-of-trenton/

Painting, 1858, Surrender of Col. Rall:

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2005697044/

Replacement grave marker for Rall:

https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2010/82/7570338_126943729404.jpg

[SunkenCiv]

Grave marker of John Glover:

https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2023/334/5317697_d9f5bbd5-31b9-4498-9a71-5567b1ea7d61.jpeg

[ComputerGuy]

An interesting story. I must confess I hadn’t heard of him before.

[T.B. Yoits]

If you have ever been on the Delaware River, you know there is no way anyone rowed a boat from shore to shore. A boat to cross the river would have to start out about five miles upstream because the river currents are so fast and powerful. A boat crossing at 90 degrees to the current would tip over right away. Washington may have crossed the Delaware but it wasn't at the place called "Washington's Crossing". It's a fast moving current, rolling like a big blender.

???

The Delaware River at the point is tidal and the water would be flat calm at high or low tide.

[blackdog]

No. It is not by much of a measure. I have swam across just to vet the claim. You had better be an accomplished swimmer, and then have cab fare in your pocket for the cab ride back from Camden.

I was born, raised, and grew up in the area.

[SunkenCiv]

:^) My pleasure. And Merry Christmas.

[ComputerGuy]

Same to you, Civ.

[Vaduz]

Yes and all the laws they wrote the Constitution is their biggest stumbling block as we have seen they are already working around it in many ways.

[oldbill]

The current is retarded or backed up at high tide.
Washington returned to Pennsylvania after the battle. Using your logic, he would have ended up 20 miles downstream, inside Philadelphia.

Also, Glover’s men made multiple trips back and forth to get them all across the river. Are you saying that each time they rowed 10 miles up river against this current to get back to the embarkation point?

[blackdog]

I know that if a row boat heads east to cross the Delaware at Washington's Crossing on the Pennsylvania side, you end up near Camden New Jersey after the currents grab you.

Systems of locks and canals allowed horses to pull barges and boats without having to battle the currents. One could take boats from Philadelphia up to New Hope up and down the river. What was very difficult is to cross the river. Parallel travel was a relative easy, but slow journey. Each lock had to fill and rise one at a time.

[oldbill]

Oh, so now Glover used locks to cross the Delaware?
Give it up.

[Texas resident]

My wife and I went there in late December. 1992 I think.
The park ranger told us that the weather that day was very similar to what Washington’s army had to deal with back then.

[Bigg Red]

It’s a lovely experience, isn’t it?

[wardaddy]

It was a ballsy move

Caught the Hessians hangovering

Could have been a debacle

[Texas resident]

It was nasty weather. 25 degrees spitting snow and ice.

Tough guys.

[Bigg Red]

They were tough guys, indeed. Our nation owes much thanks for men like that.