[mainepatsfan]

His troops didn't get to Trenton until 8:00 but the Hessians were still sleeping it off. Any other day and he couldn't have pulled it off.

[armydawg1]

His troops didn't get to Trenton until 8:00 but the Hessians were still sleeping it off. Any other day and he couldn't have pulled it off.

You sound disappointed?

[Prophet in the wilderness]

( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1546874/posts?page=16#16)
From another post on FreeRepublic:

((( Nine miles south in Trenton, New Jersey, a force of over 1500 Hessian and British soldiers rested while the nor'easter blew in.
Despite legends to the contrary, they were not celebrating nor drunk.
These were professional soldiers, with iron discipline, they were ready and willing to fight.
They were however tired.
Constant patrolling and attacks by American militia had fatigued these men.
The blowing storm gave them a welcome chance to rest and regain their strength.
In this very bad weather, it was doubtful that the Americans would cause any problems.
Their commander Colonel Johann Rall attended a small Christmas party that night, arriving after midnight.
Rall had been delayed by a meeting with his officers to discuss a deadly attack that had taken place upon his pickets that day.
Rall was a kind commander to his men and friendly to local civilians.
Because of the bad weather he had allowed his officers to cut short the patrol routes that night, so their men would not suffer in the cold and sleet.
Shortly after midnight there was a knock on the door and a servant from a local Tory family presented the Colonel with a scribbled note.
Not realizing its importance and wanting to return to his kind hosts, Rall put the note in his pocket without reading it. Too late, the next day when the note was finally found and read, it warned that a force of 2500 rebels were crossing the Delaware a few miles north at McKonkey's Ferry.
It was just more than the Hessians not waking up when they were suppose to. )))



Colonel Rall the night before told his troops to take the day off early from their post and patrols because the weather was bad and his troops needed a rest.
Another misjudgment from Colonel Rall was ?
That there were reports of American troops around their area and there were a few small skirmishes between Rall's troops and the Americans Christmas day and Rall thought that ( THAT ) was what was part of Washington's troops that were reported from Rall's own scouting reports, not knowing ? that Washington's main force was on it's way the next morning ).
A blunder that Rall wished ( well 2 blunders ) he could take back was ?
Not keeping his vigilance of his patrols and keeping a watch out on the American army.
2 nd blunder was that Rall received a message that was on a note that he received while he was at a Christmas party that he was attending, and didn't give it a 2 nd thought to read it.
That message was a report that Washington's main force was spotted.
The battle a Trenton was not really a strategic victory, but, rather, it was a moral boost for the American troops and Washington....
However ? who's to say that if Washington and his troops would have been defeated that day, the war might have ended right there and then.
There would be other moments during the war that would be just as dark, and test Washington and his troops.