Trenton Attack 1776: Local Man’s Suggestion | DVIDS

On Dec. 22, 1776, Col. Joseph Reed urged his commander, General George Washington, to make an attack on Trenton, New Jersey. Reed had been gathering intelligence on the British along the Delaware River for almost two weeks. His recommendation helped set in motion the Continental Army’s dramatic victory on Christmas 1776.

In early December 1776, Washington and his Continental Army found themselves in eastern Pennsylvania after being outmaneuvered and pushed out of New York and across New Jersey. Looking for a way to put Gen. William Howe’s British Army on the defensive, he ordered his generals to gather information on the enemy’s situation. He ordered the well-led New Jersey militia to patrol and skirmish along the Delaware River and report their findings. He also sent Colonel Reed of his own staff forward to orchestrate intelligence operations.

Reed was a perfect choice for the mission. Before the war, he was a successful lawyer in Philadelphia. In June 1775, shortly after Washington was appointed commander of the Continental Army, he asked Reed to join his staff. Exceptionally intelligent with sound military instincts, Reed would set the standard for subsequent aides. In March 1776, he became Washington’s adjutant general. By December 1776, the 35-year-old Philadelphian had worked closely with his commander for nineteen months and knew his commander’s mind. Moreover, Reed had been born in Trenton and knew the area.

For his intelligence operations, Reed set up in Bristol, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles southwest of Trenton on the Delaware River. Over the course of the next two weeks, he sent patrols and agents crisscrossing into the area around Trenton. He would often direct his men to start in one location and return by another to make efficient use of his assets. On Dec. 12, he reported the major elements of Howe’s forces and gave a thorough analysis of the situation, especially of the possibilities of where the British might cross the Delaware. Since the river could not be sufficiently guarded, Reed noted “we must depend upon intelligence of [the British] Motions…in which no Expense must be spared.”

Staying on station, Reed continued to send men across the Delaware. William Pomroy, a local militia man, was particularly effective in a sweep of the area behind Trenton, finding many of the British seemingly going into winter quarters in small groups.  Reed also remained attuned to the activities of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey militias. On Dec. 22, Reed wrote a lengthy and accurate assessment of the situation to his commander. He exhorted action, stating that “something must be attempted to revive our expiring credit, give our Cause some degree of reputation…even a failure cannot be more fatal than to remain in our present situation.” He went on to suggest that “the scattered divided state of the enemy affords us a fair opportunity of trying what our men will do when called to an offensive attack…will it not be possible, my dear general, for your troops or such part of them as can act with advantage to make a diversion or something more at or about Trenton.” Reed’s recommendation fed into Washington’s thinking, and plans for the attack on Trenton began.

Washington’s Christmas Day attack was a huge victory for the American cause. Reed was not the only source of Washington’s intelligence of the enemy, but he played a large role in starting the chain of events that led to American victory that day.

Article by Michael E. Bigelow, INSCOM Command Historian. New issues of This Week in MI History are published each week. To report story errors, ask questions, request previous articles, or be added to our distribution list, please contact: TR-ICoE-Command-Historian@army.mil.