Emanuel Leutze’s iconic painting of George Washington crossing the icy Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 might have been a bit dramatized (the Stars and Stripes hoisted in the middle of the boat, for example, hadn’t yet been adopted as the new nation’s flag). But the impact of the actual event cannot be overstated.
 
Marking its 240th anniversary, military historian Harry S. Laver of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth looks at Washington’s daring and leadership in what became a turning point in one of the American Revolution’s darkest hours. The treacherous trip across the Delaware to engage and ultimately defeat Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton breathed new life into the fight for independence.