Nice article, but it repeats the too often stated and incorrect “fact” that the Hessians were drunk and asleep. David Hackett Fischer, in the excellent definitive book “Washington’s Crossing” lays that as false. In actual fact, the Hessian’s outposts had been attacked by an independent group within the prior week which put them on higher alert. Washington also got a late start on the attack when extra time had to be taken to get the men safely across than he had anticipated. By the time they had reached the Hessians it was already well past dawn which also didn’t help with the element of surprise.
A historian in a video documentary series I linked to within the thread I linked to above says that a Hessian spy tried to inform the Hessian commander that Washington’s forces were coming their way, but he (the commander) instead, drunk or whatever, ignored the guy. He claims there was a note found in his pocket which he never bothered to open. The series episode is titled “The Times That Try Men’s Souls”. It’s Part-3 of the LIBERTY series.