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As Commander in Chief, you were constantly criticized and certainly not seen as a hero in those first six months following our Declaration of Independence. The British government had every reason to believe that this revolution was coming to a quick end. And so did many Americans and even many of your senior officers.
Then, Mr. President, you announced your BOLD plan-to have a surprise attack at Trenton, New Jersey on Christmas night. Trenton was fortified by the Hessians - the well-paid German mercenaries whose very name sent tremors to their foes. The hard reality was the frigid weather, your exhausted troops, the gunpowder that would become soiled and useless in a river crossing, and many other formidable obstacles. You were fighting the Hessians with Colonial teenage farm boys trying to look like soldiers!
How did you feel when your own senior officers called your plan "folly" and "lunacy"? You endured all this and confidently gave all the orders. The crossing of the Delaware and the victory at Trenton became the defining moment in our eventual success for freedom. Thank you, Mr. President, for your BOLD action.
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