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So, we know it's not Christmas time, but we can't help but harken back to December 25th, 1776 and reminisce about the unrivaled badassery of George Washington and his men that night. As we all know, or maybe some don't, war back then was very civilized, to say the least. Everyone lined up in pretty little lines and fired their volleys into each other before the field descended into total anarchy. It was very regimented and organized. People like Daniel Morgan and his squad of body stackers were not looked upon fondly for their guerrilla tactics. Neither was George Washington for this famous night raid, but we'd already thrown their tea into the harbor, so it's not like we cared what they thought of us, right?With a force of about 2,000, George and his merry band of miscreants crossed the Delaware River on Christmas 1776. Their target was the Hessian mercenary camp at Trenton, New Jersey. As the Hessians awoke the next morning, groggy and still probably drunk of their ass. George and his men smoke checked 22 mercenaries, wounded another 83 and captured around 1000.People like to say it wasn't a significant victory because they were unable to hold the town, but when you capture 1000 enemy fighters and take another 100 out of the fight while only losing a total of 7 yourself, you've become a strong force multiplier. It was a daring raid, something that wasn't exactly...common or courteous as the British would have seen it, but again who cares what they think?
Unconventionality in the face of defeat, these men didn't lay down their arms and give up, despite the harsh conditions and the numerous defeats prior to this engagement. Rather they figured out a way to win and win big. We all know how this turned out in the end. With the mercenaries dealt a significant blow, Washington, and his forces were able to gain a little bit of breathing room and score a huge morale boost for the men!Read more stories of American Grit here:
