Boxing Day with General Washington

I'm not an expert on Revolutionary war battles by any means. That said, I think there's a majority of us who might know Washington crossing the Delaware but little else that happened before or after that event.

Washington Crossing the Delaware is an 1851 oil-on-canvas painting by
the German American artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze

Washington's forces crossed on a miserable Christmas Day 1776. Morale was low. Boxing Day, December 26th--a very British holiday--involved a long cold, early morning march toward Trenton. In fact it became known as the battle of Trenton and proved to be a major win for the revolutionary forces.

Boxing day is the traditional day when employers gave holiday gifts to their employees, and for former British subjects would have been part of the annual holiday season. With the eventual success--when the colonies won independence--the new United States put off the celebration. (Our neighbors to the north still celebrate...mostly as a shopping day similar to our Black Friday).

Battle of Trenton, by H. Charles McBarron, Jr., 1975

Today, we  at Colonial Quills take this opportunity to wish you all the joys of the season, Merry Christmas! and thank you for being part of our year and sharing our love of history.