Free The General's Christmas by C. Metzinger

center of Trenton. A
second cannon boomed from the west side of town and Washington
realized that General Sullivan’s forces were attacking at the same
time. He sighed with relief as a weight lifted from his shoulders.
At least part of his plan was working, and he thanked
God.
    The Hessians sounded the
alarm. Church bells rang out in warning as Hessian soldiers rushed
to Colonel Rall’s headquarters along Queen Street. They hastily
tried to form a line, but American cannon boomed out, crashing into
nearby buildings, and sending them in every direction.
    Colonel Knox shouted orders
to the gun crews. One of the carriages on the cannons was shattered
by enemy iron, rendering the gun useless. After seeing that the
crewmen were not injured, Knox shouted, “There’s an enemy cannon
right in the middle of town. Go take it!”
    “Come on, lads! Let’s go get it!” shouted the
gun captain.
    Knox shouted for the
infantry to provide cover for the men running towards the enemy.
Soon, the Hessians were driven away from their cannon by heavy
musket fire from both flanks. Knox’s gun crew chased them off and
took control. After two attempts to light the fuse, they turned the
gun around and fired at the Hessian troops.
    “How do you like this end of
her?” they shouted at the Hessians. The crewmen laughed and
reloaded the gun.
    The Hessian troops took a
position farther back, but were fired upon by foot soldiers hiding
among the houses. They managed to get a few rounds off before the
crew at two of the field guns were shot down and the remaining men
fled. Bodies flew into the air, landing on the ground, mingled with
blood and mud.
    Colonel Rall came running out of his
headquarters, shouting to his officers. They tried to assemble the
troops, but the continuous bombardment scattered men
everywhere.
    The Hessians finally managed
to gather and began a march along the south side of Trenton,
complete with marching music. In a straight firing line, the
soldiers readied their muskets, took aim, and fired at the
Americans. They were answered by several cannon balls and a
multitude of muskets cracking all at once. The Hessians knew they
were outnumbered.
    One of Rall’s lieutenants came running.
    “Colonel Rall, Sir! The
enemy has surrounded the town!”
    Rall looked around past the
buildings, now exploding, enveloped in smoke. He heard musket fire
from the northeast and the west. Gun smoke poured from houses all
along King and Queen Streets. Mortar screamed through the air,
crashing into buildings, smashing glass windows and splintering
wood.
    Rall shouted, "Attack the American
flank!"
    The Hessians reformed but
had to wait as the officers argued about which route to
take.
    Meanwhile, more American regiments brought
additional cannon and heavy weapons forward to join the assault.
Heavy artillery continued to bombard the Hessians, killing men and
horses. American infantry continued to advance, moving from house
to house firing at Hessians in the streets.
    Another volley of fire from
the Hessians spooked an American's horse. It reared upon its back
legs, pawing the air, whinnying plaintively, and throwing its
rider.
    A barrage of cannon balls
blasted the Hessian regiment, killing and ravaging. Colonel Rall
pulled his regiment back to the east, taking them to safety behind
the English Church. There, two of his regiments reformed as the
fighting continued in the center of town.
    “We’ll attack their flank!” Rall shouted,
“Follow me!”
    He urged his horse forward and led the troops
through an apple orchard, up a snow-covered road leading north.
They would soon surprise the Americans from the east.
     
    As he sat mounted upon his
horse with a spyglass to his eye, General Washington observed the
progress of the battle. From his summit, Trenton lay before him
like a map. He barely flinched as a cannon ball struck the ground
nearby and musket fire exploded around him. Through his glass, he
spotted movement to the left, between a row of