Thank you. In the winter of 1776, a mere six months after the colonies declared independence from Britain and the Crown, the American army was decimated. Overrun by the British in Manhattan, slaughtered by the hundreds, by Jews, the German mercenary troops known as Hessians, the Continentals hardly seemed a threat to the might of the British Empire in the Americas. As winter approached, the Continentals were cold, tired, and sick.
And still, the British chased themselves toward the natural boundary between the two rich colonies of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the Delaware River. Get that damn gun rolling! Put your shoulders to it!
Lend a hand! Damn you! Hold up! Come on! Come on!
Right here, right here. Pearson, on the wheel. Yes, sir. Ready.
One, two, three, P! Come on! One, two, three! Mr. Hamilton! General.
Sir, you shouldn't be here. The British could be anywhere. Be damned with saving one cannon.
Spike it and move on. Yes, sir. Move on, gentlemen.
Lay a spike to her. I'll live with the horses. Come on. Half a thousand sick men, sir.
Do we quarter them here? No, we cross the river. When?
We can't lie in the cold. They'll die. We'll all die if we don't put the river between us and the British. Clever! Glover, I'd like to cross the river.
With what, sir? Do we swim the damn river? Glover, I'd like to cross the river. How, sir?
You tell me. How do we put 2,000 men across the river? Where are the boats?
Upriver a few miles is a foundry in smelter They run the ore down to Philadelphia in boats big boats take your men right up there and get those boats And pay for them with what? Open your eyes we are pinned here. We cross the river or it's water So get those boats take them you have to Do what you can for the second Yes, sir.
You are Robert McKenzie? You are the proprietor of the unworked, so don't. Who are you? By necessity and authorization of the Army of the Continentals, we have commandeered your fleet of boats for the temporary use of the American Revolutionary Effort.
What? By God, sir, is this your revolution? Is this your liberty and equality?
to destroy a man's business? To rob him of his property? I follow my orders, sir. Whose orders?
General Washington. Then God damn him for the bandit that he is. How am I going to make a living?
Who's going to pay me? The Continental Congress. And I eternal thanks for your generous assistance in this matter. Right, Beth!
You and your goddamn Continental Congress! I'll see you hanged! Every one of you! You too! You will all suffer the consequences!
You don't stand a chance! Give up now! Come on, let's go!
Hit the arm, sir! Let your horse, men! Let your horse!
Clever! Move that boat quickly! Over here! The boat is moving, Mr. Hamilton! All right, gentlemen!
Mr. Hamilton, hurry! Put your back to him! Hold your weapons!
Hold them! Fire! Fire!
Gentlemen, I will speak bluntly. Six months ago, when our army held New York City, we had 20,000 men and over 300 pieces of artillery. How many men here are fit for duty, any kind of duty? Less than 2,000, sir. Henry, how many pieces of artillery?
18, sir. Less than 2,000 men, 18 guns, and we presume to fight against the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. In doing so, we have been smashed and smashed again.
We have been flushed and chased and punished. Now, I must write to Congress and tell them of our condition. Well, gentlemen, what shall I tell them?
That we are on the west bank of the river, General, and that the British are on the east, and that there is no boat worth calling a boat on this river that is not in your hands. Yes, we have a reprieve, a few days or weeks, until the river freezes over. And when the British walk across the ice with 20,000 men?
Then we retreat. Again. Then the way is open and they take Philadelphia.
What's left? We are left. Sir, we have almost no food, no medicine, no blankets.
I'm more of a physician than a general, and I tell you, we have jaundice and dysentery. So you tell me, in what condition are we left? You are right, General Mercer. An army without supplies cannot endure. I propose we endure.
Therefore, we will find what we need. Where is our alternative, gentlemen? Do we lay down our arms?
Do we throw ourselves at the mercy of our enemy? No. So long as I command a corporal's guard, I will make some endeavor.
Now, gather round. We are here, and here, our retreat from New York. Here, I divided my forces.
I gave General Lee 2,000 men and proposed this route. I gave General Gates 1,200 men, and this was to be his route. If one of the armies were trapped, perhaps the other two could survive.
They were to meet us here. Where are they? How can two armies simply disappear?
Sterling, you were Surveyor General of New Jersey. You know every road in the state. Go and find them. Go today. Yes, sir.
You go about your duties, General. What were you saying? Outside. Suppose General Lee is out there in the Jersey hinterland. Just sit there.
Sitting and waiting for you and your army to die. I will not believe that. He hates you, just as Gates envies and hates you. That's enough, William.
I won't go unless I speak my mind. Lee has always wanted your command. What better way to see you lose it than to just stay where he is? I only ask you to find him. And if he tells me to go to hell and be damned?
Sullivan is his second in command. If there is trouble with Lee, you and General Sullivan will place him under arrest and bring him and his troops to me. You are General Washington, sir?
I am. My name is Thomas Barclay. Mine is the stone house over the hill.
I have come to you to offer it as your headquarters and shelter from the cold. You cannot conduct your business like animals in the field. I thank you, sir, with all my heart. You may have your baggage sent up, sir.
May I ask you and your staff to join us for dinner tonight? We would be honored. May I show you the way? Find General Lee and his army will unite, otherwise we are finished. Furthermore, the men still wear their summer clothing, and many are barefoot.
As wearisome as these endless pleas become, I beseech the Congress to understand our condition. Today is the 20th... of December.
In 11 days, the enlistment papers for half the army will be expired. The lads will head home. Without funds, I cannot pay the men for re-enlistment, nor can I provide food nor clothing. Without these funds, I do not know how we can continue, and I plead with you to help us.
Go, Alex. I'm very tired. I think I will rest.
Yes, sir. Yes? It's Hugh, sir. The door is open. Well, Hugh?
A rider from New York has arrived, carrying the intelligence. Why in God's name did they call it intelligence? What's with this batch?
You don't want to read it? It's from Van Hagen. Van Hagen? No one hates the British like a Dutch merchant.
What's he got to say this time? General Howe's banging a pretty little wench named Mrs. Loring. He has her in his bed every night, glassy-eyed and fornicating like a 15-year-old.
That's very stimulating, Hugh, but... but where's the connection? Van Hagen credits Mrs Loring with our continued existence.
He says if it wasn't for Mrs Loring, General Howe would be down here at the river with 20,000 men. Howe's so convinced we're finished, he's allowed Cornwallis to return to England. Another damned fool. Cornwallis is the only commander he has who isn't an idiot.
They're waiting for the river to freeze. Meanwhile, he sent Colonel Rahl and 1,200 Hessians to occupy Trenton and to watch us, should we attempt to march to Boston. 1,200 Hessians? By God, Hugh, the man holds us in contempt. Well, with reason, sir, with reason.
What reason? Less than a thousand men fit for duty. No food, no clothing. These Hessians are the best soldiers in the world. The boys we lead are as frightened of them as a Salem pastor at the sight of a witch.
Hitchens. Van Hagen writes that Howe expects us to plead for terms with... In the next fortnight, he intends to be generous. Generous?
Well, I will see General Howe in hell, or I come to him with a plea of surrender. Come along, Hugh. Where to, sir? Let's have a look at Trenton. I've never seen the town.
Now, sir. Yes, Hugh, right now. Not much of a river, is it? Less than the Potomac.
They don't have any guts at all. They'll build rafts and fight their way across. They don't have to.
They can wait. Twelve hundred Hessians. Among them, the Nieposen regiment.
Same murderous bastards that cut us to pieces in Brooklyn, leaving five hundred of you Virginians dead. Listen. Do you hear? This was a fool's play, the two of us riding down here alone.
Let's get out of here. Be quiet. That's ours, you...
some drunken fifers. For the devil's sake. General Sullivan, sir. General Sterling.
General Washington. Where is General Lee, sir? Taken captive by the British. How did that come about? We were encamped near Basking Ridge.
He went alone to a tavern two miles away, and there the British took him. Or else he joined them. I see. What is the condition of your men?
872 able to walk and bear arms. The rest are in the carts. And what have you heard of General Gates? He will be with you by nightfall. Very well.
It is. Five o'clock, General. I suggest you march your men to our camp, if they have the strength.
They have the strength, sir. Ride back with them, Hugh. I will meet you shortly. Will you not ride with us, sir?
No. That's it. That's the whole of it.
And you want my opinion? Forthrightly and honestly. I think you've lost your mind.
Well, that's plainly said, Colonel Glover, but it's quite beside the point. The question is, can you do it? No, I cannot.
But I will. What the devil does that mean? It means that the whole thing is a damned lunatic affair.
But if you're determined to ride into hell, I'll go along. And my fisherman will go too. When all is said and done, there's no alternative, is there?
I think not. I will then. I sat.
Glover! Sir. Thank you.
Tell me that when we've done it. Sir. No talk of defeat. Our side will assuredly triumph.
Hear, hear. And then General Knox here will write a book about it. I sell books, madam.
Writing one is quite beyond me. And perhaps General Glover will. Colonel Glover, madam. This army is sufficient generals.
I'm not a writer. I'm a fisherman. I'm gonna be a short man, I'll not let you forget it. I'm intrigued by your profession and I notice your uniform is different.
There's no uniform, madam. These are my own clothes. Just as this is my own.
hair which God gave me. I will lay aside my contempt for free pries and my disgust for the high church just long enough to join these gentlemen in an endeavor which is my own as well as theirs. But I will not clothe myself in silks and laces and and play the silly ass in a padded wig. I'm a marblehead fisherman of the Congregational Persuasion Man. So I was born, so I will die.
Madam, let me not apologize, but rather explain the blunt speech of Colonel Glover. He was never one to hide his light under a bushel. He has no desire to be ungracious.
No, indeed, madam. I'm in your debt. By God, that I have lived to hear John Glover... apologize?
There was no apology. I merely thanked the lady for a fine meal and wine, which is a damn sight more than I hear from you, High Church. General Gates arrived with his army half an hour ago.
He's in the front room and in no good mood. Bring him here, Alex. Yes, sir.
Be honest and call yourself what you are. A Presbyterian, Mr. Knox. Mr. Barclay, it appears we do nothing but impose on you.
How so? General Gates has just arrived. Stop.
And may I introduce him, my colleague, General Gates. Ah. Welcome, sir. Have you eaten? Enough.
May we have the use of the room and table for the rest of this evening? Of course, General. Ladies? Sit down, General.
Have a glass of wine. Be seated, gentlemen. It is late, but perhaps not too late. I would have had this meeting before, but I wanted to have General Gates here. I received this dispatch yesterday from the Continental Congress to His Excellency General Washington, Commander-in-Chief.
The Congress, having come to the realization that Philadelphia cannot be defended, has removed to Baltimore. We leave you in full command with the power to make all decisions concerning the future of our struggle. So it is, gentlemen. We became a nation on the 4th of July, six months ago.
We held our three largest cities, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Since then, we have lost New York. Congress has fled from Philadelphia because we cannot defend it. We have lost every battle, and out of our great army, only a handful remain.
The British have written us off. At this very moment, they are contriving the terms of our surrender, waiting for the Delaware River to freeze over so that they may walk across it and present us with those terms. You have stated the situation, sir, quite clearly.
Very well. Preserve your opinions, gentlemen. Hear me out. Across the river, ten miles downstream, is the village of Trenton.
It is held by 1,200 Hessians with Rall in command. They have food, warm clothing, blankets, tents, cannons, muskets, ammunition, in short, everything we need. In four days it will be Christmas. There will be a great deal of feasting and a great deal of drinking by the Hessians that day and night.
I propose that on the eve of December 25th, we cross the river, march on Trenton, and attack the Hessians before dawn. And if God is with us, we'll take the whole lot of them. Well, sir, I waited for you to broach this.
What do you think? You would not wish to know, sir. Then you have objections. Many. Would you specify them?
Gladly. Firstly, my dear sir, in order to... To attack, one needs an army.
You do not have an army. Secondly, in order to attack, one needs soldiers. Your men are not soldiers.
Thirdly, your troops always go in one direction. To attack... requires the other direction.
Shall I continue? By all means. In 11 days'time, the enlistments run out. Your men will not attack a fly before then, and why should they? They need only sit tight and go home.
Next. There is no way to cross the river and keep such a plan from the Hessians. They have spies everywhere, the crossing will take hours, and long before you reach the other shore, the Hessians will have their artillery on your boats.
Those big Durham boats of yours make damn good targets. Even a Yankee gunner couldn't miss them. And finally, you will not defeat Hessians. They are European soldiers.
The most disciplined, the most rigorously trained, the best soldiers on Earth, and you bloody well know that. superiority their superiority will be their undoing oh my dear sir please their training has not prepared them for an attack of this nature they will be roused from their beds and we will not give them time to achieve the formations with which they are comfortable I fear for your sanity, General. I fear that you are no longer fit for command. How dare you!
No, sir, how dare you! I am sick to death of your looking down that long nose of yours. And equally sick of the pretense of military competence that you and your colonial cronies display. You are no soldiers. And you, sir, are a damned poor leader.
You can't face defeat, and so you seek annihilation. Have you finished? Surrender.
This revolution is over. So we surrender. We weigh the pros and cons, and reason prevails.
But you see, sir, I am an unreasonable man as well as a poor soldier. But you are right. My men are not soldiers.
They are lads. Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. They run away.
They fear the Hessians as they fear death. All this is true. Yet, they have put their trust in me. They could have deserted.
Thousands have. But these lads have not. They remain with me. And I, not you, General Gates, I command this army.
And if I, a bumbling Virginia farmer, should decide to lead them into hell, they will follow me into hell. Now you hear me, and you hear me well. You will ride out of my camp. You are not to discuss what has occurred here tonight, not with your staff, not with your men.
Put your pistol on him, Alex, and go with him. See him onto his horse and out of this camp. And if he tries to take his men with him, shoot him.
You would not dare. Try me, General Gates. Only try me. Go with him, Alex, but come back quickly. We have much to do.
This is not a matter for amusement, gentlemen. It damn well is not. Gates is right. If the Hessians get wind of this and catch those Durham boats in the river, we'll all swim to hell.
Damn well said. Now, listen to me, all of you. We have but a few days to prepare for something we have never done before.
Begging your pardon, sir, but we have fought before? We have defended ourselves against their attacks and been defeated. On Christmas Day, for the first time, we attack them.
Dammit, no! I will not ferry your guns until my men are across. You're stubborn as a mule.
If there's an attack, we'll need the guns. Damn my soul that I should fight this greasy war with shopkeepers! Get in on the rain, Mr. Knox.
Now listen to me. To get guns and horses across, we put a platform across two boats. We drive six inch spikes through the plank into the gunwales of the boats.
It takes twenty of my fishermen to handle each platform. Your point? That will take five boats out of the transport of the men. Then what?
Do we spend precious hours ripping off the platforms in the night while the men wait? Use your goddamn head, Mr. Knox. Glover, you're a sour, foul-mouthed barbarian. That I am.
Now there's a civilized man, cold enough to freeze your balls off, and the land's shaven. We will cross here, a short march away at McConkie's Ferry. Then we'll divide into two columns and enter Trenton from two directions in darkness. You have two days left to select your companies and prepare them. Tell your men as little as possible.
When we assemble for the crossing, you can give them the information. Not before then. Any questions?
General Green, sir. My men need rifles. How many?
Maybe a hundred, sir. You can have ten rifles. Give the rest muskets and bayonets.
Begging your pardon, General Green, but my men are riflemen. Sharpshooters. They won't take kindly to muskets and bayonets. They won't take kindly to being skewered by a Hessian, either. Have you looked outside, Captain?
Better a musket and bayonet than a rifle that won't spark. We are going in, all of us, with cold steel at night. Yes, Captain Heinemann.
My boys are Pennsylvania Germans. They're good boys and brave boys. But to them, the Hessens are like the Teufel. Devil, like the devil. And if I tell them last moment that we fight, the Hessens, they become too nervous.
But if I tell them today we can talk about it, it's better for us. I think. That's the way. What do you think?
William, tell them. It's safe enough. No one can understand a word they say anyway. Smokin'.
Dry cow dung. It should taste fine. Shit. What's yours? Huh.
Corn silk. Remember tobacco? Yup.
Making a hell of a mess there. What's all that for? Thinking the wax will keep the weather out. I feel like facing some red coat with soggy powder. That never worked.
McConkie? Taylor, this is an honor. But please, will you step into the taproom? Better if we talk here. What I have to say is only for your ears.
As you wish. But please, sit yourself. Oh, it's a shame, but I always imagined one day your ex-sendancy would come in here and be asking me for a bottle of Madeira.
Corky, there's not a bottle of Madeira between here and Philadelphia. Be praised. It's a year since I've tasted such a material. The bottle's yours.
Drink with me. Oh, no, no. I wouldn't have a drop touch me lips. It's yours alone.
Now, what would you have to talk with me about? I hear you have no love for our enemy. Love? Jesus Christ, I see the bastards in hell. And you can keep your mouth shut?
Like a trap. Very well. I want this house tomorrow. All day. I want it for my headquarters.
I'm going to cross the river tomorrow with 2,000 men. And attack. You mean the bastards at Trenton? Yes, the bastards at Trenton. General, may I take you up on your kind offer?
When you came in, General, did you not notice the ice on the river? Nothing to bother us. Not now, sir. But the Delaware is a strange and curious river. The frost comes and it pours forth into the northern valleys.
There'll probably be kicks of ice in a day or two, and it'll get worse for every day after. We cross tomorrow. Oh, for Christ's sake, General.
Forgive the impertinence. But why not wait for spring? This is a cause I love.
It's an army I love. I love it, too, more than I can say. Then why not wait?
Because if I do not cross tomorrow, there will be no army. Yes? It's Christmas Day, sir.
Merry Christmas. Thank you. You always share with cold water?
Well, I damn well better be used to cold water before the day is out. You can bank on that, by God. If you go through with it. Oh, we're crossing, Glover. Today.
At nightfall. May I ask you a question, sir? If I said no, would it dissuade you?
In this case, sir? No, it wouldn't. Well, then, by all means, Glover, what is it? Would you attack the Hessians in open daylight? That is a damn fool question.
I have no intention of attacking in daylight. But would you? Glover, speak plainly, if you will. Very well. Let us say we push off the boats at half past five.
Full darkness. give us six and a half hours for crossing. You plan to march to Trenton at midnight. A night march in this weather with men who will be wet, freezing, and already exhausted. If you can whip them and the guns are long at two miles an hour, you can get to Trenton before dawn.
We will do three. Three miles an hour. Maybe.
I'm not saying you will. I'm not saying you won't. But there's ice in the river.
And as God is my witness, there's no man on Earth who can carry that army across in six hours. Or ten hours. So you will be coming to threatening daylight. Providing we can cross that damn river at all. That last you said.
Son. Providing we can cross at all. Glover.
Yes, sir. You have been a pain in my ass, and a thorn in my side... since the day we met.
You'd be a general today if you hadn't burned the ass of every man on my staff. What being a general? It's more private soldiers we need, not more generals.
True enough. You are a hard man to like. But, you saved my army at Brooklyn Heights, and you saved it at Throgs Neck, and you saved it when they drove us across the North River.
You have more guts than any man I have ever known. Damned good soldier. So, I'm giving you an order. And unless you want to take your men back to Marblehead, Massachusetts, wherever that cold and godforsaken Yankee place is, you will carry it out.
You will take my army across the river, and you will do it tonight. Very well, General. I'll carry your army across the river. God help me, I don't know how, but I'll do it. And I will not march on Trenton until the last boat is across.
I want your fisherman with me. He'll be with you. Are you ready for this? Yeah, you? Yeah.
There, gentlemen, you have all the details of the plan. Let me for the last time repeat the main elements. It is now 5.10.
We will begin loading the boats in precisely 20 minutes. When the crossing is completed, we will mark... south along the river road.
Four miles south, the army will divide into two sections. General Green and I, commanding the first section, will take the Pennington road. General Sullivan, commanding the second section, will take the river road. We will enter Trenton, God willing, no later than six o'clock in the morning. It will still be dark.
You wanted a few words, Colonel Glover? Yes, sir. Gentlemen, I want discipline and speed in loading and unloading.
No interference with my oarsmen. Each boat will have one of my men in command. His word is law. Whether he gives his orders to Private Soldier or to General Washington himself, he will be at the tiller. As for the crossing, I am in command.
Will you put your word on that, sir? You heard Colonel Glover. Loading and unloading and on the river, he is the Supreme Commander. No one is to countermand his orders. Any questions?
Very well. I bid you all godspeed and good luck and a merry Christmas to all of you. First to pass, Hinkley!
There, yeah! Cast off! Cast off!
Now! General? You, cross now. Seal off the landing area.
Put a guard on anyone who wanders in. And land wide in the circle. Done, sir. What time is it, Alex? 610, sir.
I'm not moving fast enough. Bring me Glover, I'm inside. Freeze air!
Come on! Come on! Sit down!
Come on, men! Gentlemen! Your troops are out there in the cold.
Your place is with them, not here by the fire. General, I've no time for civilities. Can you make the men move faster?
No sir, I cannot. The dock's too small and we've only space for two boats at a time. And I told you this morning that six hours is not... Very well, let's get back to it.
Get back quickly, boy. Move lively over there! Move lively! Captain!
Yes, sir? Send some men down here! Right away, sir!
I need these boats floating! Go on! Go on!
Easy, lad! Step up! Step up!
Time, Alex! What is the time? Almost ten, sir! General, I'll cross, sir, with your permission. We have a thousand men on the other side.
Very well, Nathaniel, I suppose you could. Will you remain here, sir? No, I cannot continue to watch this agonizing process and maintain my sanity.
I'm going to cross over as well. I should like to cross. also, sir. Why don't you wait for the guns?
Because if I open my mouth again about the loading of the guns, Glover will go mad. He hates me. I tried to talk to him about this before, but, well, he insulted me. How?
He said that in an army that hasn't eaten in three months, it's damn near treason to be fat. Did he now? Come on, Henry.
Snow night for bickering. To the boats, gentlemen. Yes, sir.
Sir. Go with General Green and General Knox. I'll be right along. I give you command on shore.
I want you to wait till the last boat. Everyone crosses. Do you understand?
Regardless of the time, regardless of what happens, we cross and march on Trenton. No discussions, no arguments. We cross and attack. I understand.
Good. I'll see you on the other side. It's yours now, Glover. Keep them moving. Don't worry, General.
We'll all cross. Move that fat ass, Henry. What'd he say?
Move your fat ass. Don't swing your balls or you'll swamp the boat. Cast off!
Pull easy lads, save your strength, you'll need it for the night's out. God, they're slow, sir. Can't we hurry them? We make one trip, Henry. They're at it all night.
And then they march to Trenton with us. Easy, lads, easy. Pull together.
Hey, give them a count. Sally Brown, she's a bright malacca Wave all around She drinks from and chews tobacco. Spend my money on Sally Brown. Hi, folks. Five at the line.
A little closer. Closer. All good?
How is it, Hugh? Well, since the snow's given over, sir, most of the boys are asleep. Let them sleep. God knows they'll need their strength.
Eleven, ten. Well, there it is. We won't have the army crossed over before three in the morning.
That means we won't reach Trenton before daybreak. You must agree. I agree.
What then? Attack in daylight. How is the perimeter?
Uh, I've got 300 stationed around the edge. We've picked up, uh, 10 or 12 people from nearby farms. Mostly curious locals.
Innocent enough, I think. I'll talk to them. Where are they? Oh, Fred. We know each other well, and by your side through many a hellish thing.
But if we go to Trenton in daylight, and the Hessians are waiting for us... Well... Then it's the end. You know that. You...
They made me commander-in-chief of a great army. Now I am commander-in-chief of those who remain. I've lost every chance and failed at every effort. This is not bluster, Hugh.
But so help me God, if I must ride into Trenton alone, I will do so. This way, then. I am General Washington. Why are you holding him back?
Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to me! In a few hours, we will march south to attack Trent.
Word of this gets out, hundreds of my men will die. You will be detained for three hours after we march, then you will be set free. I'm sorry that you are suffering, but we are all suffering. Three and a half, maybe four hours to daylight. God damn it, Hugh, I know that.
That's it, no more talk of time. General. He's done, sir.
All across. Ready the men, Alex. When there's no time to lose, we march in ten minutes. Sir.
To your brigades, gentlemen. Sir. Sir. Glover. How are you, fisherman?
Tired, sir. But they'll march. How are they armed?
Pikes, son. Fishing pikes. Well, you and your man lead Sullivan's column. Get with it. Glover!
Thank you. Well, Glover, do you think our muskets will fire? No, I don't.
We go in with bayonets and nothing else. You can be sure of it. The hashing powder is dry. That too, you can be sure of.
Thank you. Thank you. Alex, wait here.
C2 at the Sullivan recognizes his robe and takes his column south. Yes, sir. Get the guns moving, Henry. Advance. Get the guns advanced.
All right, men, back on your feet. Keep them moving, Nathaniel. We cannot stop.
March! Warm up, men. March! March!
Come on lads, a few more miles and we're there. Norman, the river road. 730, find Sullivan, tell him we attack at 8 and get back here.
Yes sir. Go on home boy. Take him and go home.
General Sullivan, we attack at 8. Any sign of the Hessians? No. God willing, we're still asleep.
8 o'clock! Where's the Hessian guardhouse? In there. You be General Washington. Did you find him?
Yes, sir. Sullivan will attack at 8 o'clock. How many?
How many what? How many Hessians in the guardhouse? Four, maybe six. But, um, they'd be sleeping, General.
They made a great celebration yesterday. Pass the order to fix bayonets, then spread your brigades across the meadows. We attack at eight.
Get moving. Fix bayonets! Do you think you and Williams could silence that farmhouse?
Yes, sir. Then do so. Williams, with me!
The bread is pretty dry. Better than nothing. What the hell are you doing?
You can't do that! Give me the gun! The gun! Welcome to the I'm done, sir. How many?
Four, sir. They're all dead. You hear me? What a man!
The enemy! The enemy! Yes, yes.
How many are there? I don't know, Mr. Oberst. Is my horse saddled?
Yes, Mr. Oberst. Fire in the hole! Come on! Fire!
Don't stop! Fire in the hole! How many are there?
I think 100. Where is the enemy? I don't know, they are up there. Come on!
All men, run away from here now! Major, where are our cannons? They are in the bushes!
What are we going to do? Hurry up, Alex! We have to go!
This way, men! To the meadow! This way! Stand together in a row! All of you!
Shit! Why are you waiting so long? Attention!
Faster! Go! Faster!
Faster! What do you have? Get over here!
Bring the cannons here! I see only one cannon! Where are the others?
Go! Bring the cannons here! Bring the cannons here!
Fire! They're coming from behind, Mr. Oberst! They're coming from behind! They're in the ditch! They're in the ditch!
We heard them! Come on! We're in!
Come on! They're in the ditch! Horror! You have to give us something.
Yes, I understand. There is no other way out. We must surrender! We must surrender!
All of you, fall! General Washington, Colonel Rall's sword. Send it to Congress.
How badly is Rall hurt? Mortally, I think, sir. They've taken it to one of the houses. I sent Captain Heinemann and some of his men with them.
Hot luge. Tell them I'm a physician. General Mercer is a doctor and offers his help.
I have no other choice but to go. Yes, I understand. What did he say?
Mr. Oberst, what did you say? Will you allow me, as a Hessian officer, to obey your orders? He says that he wants to surrender like a hessian officer but only to general washington he'll surrender to me foreign yes I am a hessian officer and I have to speak with General Washington Nathaniel, get Washington.
Bring him here. He won't come. Tell him he damn well must come. If there's one thing we should understand, it's defeat. His enemy is dying.
Tell him that. Get over there! Sit down!
You're all done. Colonel Washington, Colonel Rall is dying. General Mercer says you cannot let him die without speaking to him. It's a courtesy of war. Courtesy?
There are no courtesies of war, I found it. This is not a parlor game, where I must pay my respects to that stinking mercenary who killed 500 of my men in Brooklyn. Slaughtered them when they tried to surrender. Skewered them in the backs with bayonets.
Do you want me to weep for those bastards? Men who kill for profit? Our own cause is at its heart. A fight against British taxation, is it not?
In the end, sir, we all kill for profit. The British and the Hessians. And us. Give me!
Keep them together! Keep them together! What are you looking at? Get over there!
Very well, Nathaniel. We must not let them think we're savages. He's very weak.
He hasn't long. Sie sind General Washington. He asks if you are...
I am Washington. My soldiers are good, brave soldiers. Please, don't hate them.
Take your weapons. But leave your money and your word to them. I will.
Gentlemen, where do we stand? We have their cannons, sir. Six double fortified brass six pounders. Better than anything we have.
Tell Knox I want the cannons loaded and rigged for marching. What else? Three ammunition wagons, 49 Hessian horses, blankets. clothes, about five tons of flour, meat, cornmeal.
How many prisoners? Over 900, sir. We haven't an exact count yet. 30 commissioned officers, also all their colors and drums.
We'll find some drummers. I want a beat when we mark. Captain Heinemann. Yes, sir.
I want you to march with the Hessian officers. And have one of your German lads with every group of Hessian prisoners, so that we will be able to speak to them. Your men will inform the Hessians that any man who tries to escape will be shot. Is that plain? Yes, sir.
Now get to it. We march in half an hour. Where are we marching to, sir? Back to the boats and across the river.
But the men are exhausted. They're sleeping in the roads, in the meadows. They can't hold their heads up.
I too am exhausted, gentlemen. Now listen to me. We have won our first victory in 12 months.
We have attacked the enemy for the first time, and out of some miracle, or the graciousness of God, or the idiocy of war, we have survived. What can you be thinking? Have we won a war? Gentlemen, this is only the beginning of a war.
We have 2,000 men. The enemy has 20,000. And I swear I will not eat nor will I sleep until I put that river between him and us. Now, go to your brigades, gentlemen, and prepare to march. Hugh, how many men lost?
None. Wounded. None.
Oh my god. Do you know? I've felt these past 24 hours. I can guess. Like a madman.
Sending these beautiful lads to their deaths. All these boys who would follow me. Why did they do it? I suppose they trust you.
More the fools. And love you. Very well, Hugh.
Best get your men ready.