Christmas Surprise 1776 Washington before Trenton

Christmas night 1776 – McConkey’s Ferry on the Delaware River above Trenton, New Jersey.  General George Washington contemplating the decision to attack the British Army at Trenton, NJ

I have often wondered about the logistics of Washington’s famous crossing before Trenton.  The painting by Leutze in 1851 showing Washington standing in the boat was a fantasy.  The reality was that the crossing on the 25^th & 26^th of December 1776 was at night in bad weather.  I wanted to paint a more realistic image of this famous scene.  The Durham boats that got the army across were cargo boats used along the Delaware River, mostly ore carriers.  The boats were crewed for Washington’s army by men from Marblehead MA.