Timeline of a Tradition At the annual reenactment of Washington’s crossing, national, personal and family histories intertwine. BY NICK NORLEN
Think about it: There are plenty of place names synonymous with American historical events (Valley Forge, Gettysburg), but Washington Crossing is one of the few named for an event itself. That distinction has inspired an annual reenactment tradition that now involves around 500 people, including about 400 reenactors. To tell their story, you have to start at the beginning.
1776 Contrary to the narrative that emerges over the next quarter millennium, the Hessian mercenaries encamped around Trenton are neither drunk nor unaware of the possibility of attack. “They were sleeping in their uniforms, literally guns by their beds,” says Alex Robb, interpretive programs specialist at Washington Crossing Historic Park. Conditions are dire on the Pennsylvania
side, where roughly 2,700 American soldiers are amassed after retreats from New York and New Jersey. It takes the poorly clothed soldiers six and a half hours to cross the icy river. By that time, they’ve lost the cover of darkness. Two additional crossing parties downriver are thwarted by the ice. Washington proceeds anyway. “The watchword for the night is ‘victory or death,’” Robb says. “That’s a very literal expression.”
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