“Men, tonight we cross back into New Jersey,” he said. “Fight for all you are worth and all you love. The watchword is victory or death.”
We need more reminding of the sacrifice and bravery that went on some 225 years ago...
Posted on 12/10/2007 7:57:54 AM PST by 2banana
Dry run on river
By CHRIS ENGLISH Bucks County Courier Times
General George Washington didn't get a rehearsal 231 years ago when he and his troops crossed the icy Delaware River on Christmas night and prepared to strike the Hessians in Trenton.
It was either get it right the first time or choke down another painful setback in the American Colonies' bid for independence from the British.
Washington got it right, and so did more than 50 re-enactors Sunday afternoon in a dress rehearsal for their annual Christmas crossing that relives that fateful day more than two centuries ago.
Led by Branchburg, N.J., resident Ronald Rinaldi as Washington, the re-enactors boarded two Durham boats and paddled over to New Jersey as more than a thousand spectators viewed the proceedings at Washington Crossing Historic Park.
Before the crossing, Rinaldi stirred up the troops in the best Washington style.
“Men, tonight we cross back into New Jersey,” he said. “Fight for all you are worth and all you love. The watchword is victory or death.”
As the boats touched the river's opposite shore in New Jersey, another contingent of re-enactors fired cannon shots over the water. The weather was much nicer than on Dec. 25, 1776, when Washington made the crossing in sleet and snow and then marched to Trenton in a blizzard.
Newtown Township resident Steve Matz, who brought many from his Cub Scout Den to Sunday's rehearsal, was impressed.
“It's great to see a piece of history and how people lived in the Colonial era,” he said. “The crossing was great and it was also nice to see how things were done in those days, like the Blacksmith demonstration we watched. It's nice to know we live in an area that was part of history.”
Lynne Anne Donchez of Doylestown brought her niece, who's in the second grade, to the rehearsal.
“She's starting to learn history in school but it just enhances it so much to actually be at the place where something so historical happened,” said Donchez. “It's very important to bring young people into history because without them, events like this will die.”
Harry Schaeffer made the trip from his home in National Park, N.J., to watch the rehearsal.
“I've always been interested in the American Revolution, and it makes it seem more real when you're here,” he said. “You can see how wide the river is and what the current is like and everything else.”
The 54th annual crossing re-enactment will be Dec. 25 at 1 p.m. at Washington Crossing Historic Park, weather and river conditions permitting.
Rinaldi has participated in the re-enactment for 32 years but this is his first year as Washington, a park official said.
Chris English can be reached at 215-949-4193 or cenglish@phillyBurbs.com.
“Men, tonight we cross back into New Jersey,” he said. “Fight for all you are worth and all you love. The watchword is victory or death.”
We need more reminding of the sacrifice and bravery that went on some 225 years ago...
I’d like to see them get a horse in a boat and make the full trip.
Re-enactors firing cannon shots? Washington’s crossing was a covert surprize attack done with stealth. The last thing to have ever happened was cannon fire.........Washington caught the whole Trenton encampment of Hessians(German mercenaries fighting for hire by the British) by surprize. Most were still sleeping in their beds.
Seems as if they didn't make it across ... glad the first Washington made it though. Otherwise we'd probably be speaking English now. ;)
Daniels also made Washington look like a total stiff, IMO.
>>“Fight for all you are worth and all you love. The watchword is victory or death.”<<
Today’s version would be “Argue in the Senate for days on end. The watchword is appeasement or surrender.”
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