Free The General's Christmas by C. Metzinger Page A

houses on King St.
The Hessians were advancing north around the outside of town, and
he surmised their intent.
    “General Greene! Send a regiment to our left
flank!”
    “Sir!” Greene responded and
shouted orders to his officers. They quickly rushed to the east
side of the town and set up positions upon the bluff overlooking
the road to the orchard. When the Hessians came into range, they
fired a torrent of musket balls. The Hessians stopped to return
fire, but after several minutes of relentless assault, they fell
back and retreated.
    Colonel Rall gradually reassembled his force
once more, taking position along the Assunpink Creek at the south
end of town. Americans were moving through the center of town, and
would soon meet them. Rall decided to hold this position as long as
they could. He sent a brigade to keep the Americans from taking the
bridge, which would be their only route of escape.
    But when the brigade took
positions at the Trenton end of the bridge, they found themselves
facing Sullivan's New Englanders. Fighting fiercely, they pushed
the Hessians back. The Hessians retreated along the creek, looking
for another escape route, but one of their cannon carriages became
stuck in the snow.
    Outnumbered, the Hessians
fled, leaving their cannon behind. A few of the Americans chased
them through freezing creek water. Colonel Rall ordered his men to
keep firing. Suddenly, he was hit and thrown from his
saddle.
    Soldiers rushed to his side. They carried him
to a nearby church and laid him upon one of the pews.
    Outside, the Americans were
advancing through the town, killing Hessians along the way as the
enemy retreated.
    A group of Hessians gathered behind a house,
discussing what to do.
    “Colonel Rall is wounded badly,” one officer
reported, “And the Americans have surrounded the town. We are
outnumbered!”
    “If we surrender, they’ll
kill us!” one of the men argued.
    “If we surrender we may have a chance to
live. But if we continue to fight, we will all be killed!”
    There was another round of cannon fire from
the south where Sullivan’s men continued to push their way along
the Assunpink Creek along the lower end of town.
    “We’re surrounded!” another soldier
cried.
    They knew their fate was sealed and further
resistance was futile.
     
    From the hilltop, Washington watched the
Hessians gathering at the southern end of town. It appeared as if
they were organizing for another attack.
    The storm continued to heap snow upon the
town while musket fire tattooed like firecrackers. The Americans
had now surrounded the Hessians. Corporal Baylor approached General
Washington, awaiting the order to finish them off.
    “Captain Forrest, switch your ammunition from
round shot to canister,” said Washington.
    Captain Forrest nodded and
replied, “Yes, sir!”
    As Forrest turned to execute
the order, he spotted something waving in the wind among the
Hessians, and he stared in disbelief.
    “Sir! They’ve surrendered!”
Forrest cried.
    Washington and Greene sat up
straight in their saddles. Washington looked through his spyglass.
The Hessian colors were lowering over headquarters, and soldiers
were laying down their weapons. He lowered his spyglass, saying,
“So they have, Captain. So they have.”
     
     
    Chapter 11
     
    There was general chaos at
first, as groups of soldiers continued to fight. Eventually, the
sound of musket fire diminished until only a spattering of shots
could be heard. As word spread that the Hessians had submitted, the
Americans began to cheer.
    "We won! My God, we won!"
    "We beat 'em! We beat those buggars!"
    After cheering boisterously,
they rounded up the prisoners and their weapons. A few Hessian hats
were also taken in the process, and some soldiers pranced around
wearing them with huge grins. A few comedians ventured to imitate
the German language and strut around like Hessians, initiating
laughter. The Hessians huddled in silent fear of their
fate.
    Washington turned to