The Film “The Crossing”, Research Paper Example

The film “The Crossing,” a made-for-television production based on the 1971 Howard Fast novel of the same name, dramatizes the events surrounding George Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware River and subsequent Battle of Trenton in 1776. These events are often presented in history books, and it is well known that Washington’s decision to attack the Hessian soldiers stationed in Trenton was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. What Fast’s book and the film based on the book offer viewers and readers is an opportunity to look beyond the familiar events to see General Washington as a human being, and to see the challenges he faced from all sides. His army was in tatters; soldiers were sick, poorly fed, and short on supplies. Washington also faced dissent from a few of his fellow officers, some of whom were captured by or had surrendered to the British or openly challenged Washington’s military prowess and ability to lead his soldiers. “The Crossing” demonstrates just how perilous a position Washington’s soldiers –and indeed, the entire revolution- truly were in the first few weeks of December 1776. This film, and the book on which it was based, offer an account of one of the greatest, and most historically significant military ventures in history.

The central story in “The Crossing,” as the title makes clear, is the decision by George Washington, as General of the Continental Army, to cross the Delaware River on Christmas night, 1776, for the purpose of catching the Hessian troops unprepared. As the film makes clear in its second act, this crossing was hugely problematic; Washington’s soldiers had few boats, few guns, and very few hours in which to make the trip. Rowing at night, as the river was freezing over in spots, took many hours. Boats were crossing and returning for more soldiers, crossing in shifts in a desperate effort to get everyone across before daybreak. As the film opens, however, Washington and his men are moving in the opposite direction, retreating across New Jersey and the river into Pennsylvania, fleeing the advancing Hessian Army. These opening scenes make it clear just how desperate the situation was for the Continental Army, and how unlikely it was that the revolution would succeed.

Fast’s book is divided into two main sections: “The First Crossing: East to West” and “The Second Crossing: West to East.” The events leading up to the retreat of Washington’s troops is covered in great detail in the book; the film picks up just as the men are fleeing to safety as Hessian troops bear down upon them. For a story of war, “The Crossing” is surprisingly free from violence. The opening and closing scenes portray the battles fought during each of the two “crossings,” while the central moments in the film are devoted to the intrigue, political maneuvering, and occasional moments of sheer luck that underpinned Washington’s eventual victory at Trenton. Among the key elements of this victory was the nature of the enemy he faced: the Hessians were mercenary soldiers, highly trained and regimented, who had been hired by the British to help put down the revolution.  As “The Crossing” shows, Washington was able to use the strengths of the Hessians against them, in taking them by surprise, they did not have time to form ranks or otherwise follow the orders being shouted to them by their leaders.

By the time Washington had retreated from defeat in New York and New Jersey, he had fewer than 2000 men left under his command, and many of them were ill, wounded, or starving. The Continental Army had lost over 2000 men in surrender to British and Hessian forces in New York (Bonk, n.p.) and as the film notes Washington had also divided his army into separate factions under separate commanders in hopes of outflanking the British. He is seen in the film asking his subordinates where those troops are, and why they have not met up with him at the camp in Pennsylvania. According to the portrayal in the film, one of the Continental Army generals had either been captured, or had possibly surrendered, to British forces, but the soldiers serving under him marched themselves to Pennsylvania, meeting up with Washington shortly before Christmas (Bronk, n.p.).

In “The Crossing” Washington and the troops are seen camped in Pennsylvania as Washington considers how they will survive the winter with few supplies and no money to keep paying the conscripted troops. Washington is approached by a local man named Thomas Barclay who offers the use of his nearby home to Washington as a place to rest and regroup. This scene is disputed by some history books; in one account Barclay’s home is actually in Philadelphia, while the home of William Keith is used as a base just before the crossing of the Delaware. Keith’s home is “a bit closer to the intended seat of action” (Kelly, 219) and the film may have been taking a few liberties in its portrayal of events. Whatever the case, the scene in the film shows how many local people supported the revolution and the efforts of Washington and his troops during the darkest days of the war.

The Hessian troops that had chased Washington’s men across the Delaware set themselves in to Trenton, and Washington is shown in the movie when he and General Mercer use telescopes to monitor the Hessian troops. The Hessians are seen practicing their formations, a moment that will come into play at the climax of the film. If Washington is impressed by the Hessians, he does not show it. While he is aware of their superior armaments and supplies, he considers it an insult that there are only 1200 of them in Trenton. Considering the losses the Continental Army had taken in New York and New Jersey, however, the British likely had good reason to be confident.  What Washington knows is that the Hessians will bide their time and wait for the river to freeze over; once that happens they will advance on the Continental Army.  With this in mind, Washington comes up with his plan to cross the Delaware on Christmas night, under cover of darkness, before the river freezes.

In the film, Washington and his men are seen having dinner a few days before Christmas in the house of Thomas Barclay (a meeting which actually took place in the home of William Keith). After his defeats in New York, the Continental Congress was beginning to lose faith in his ability to lead the Army, and other Generals were jockeying for position in hopes of replacing him as leader (McCullough, 71). This concern about Washington’s capacity to command the troops and lead the revolution is dramatized in the film during the dinner scene, when Washington is openly challenged by General Gates. When Gates makes it clear that he has no faith in Washington or his plans for crossing the river, Washington has him escorted way and orders his men to keep watch over him to ensure that he does not leak word of the planned attack. The need for secrecy is clear; if the Hessians know that Washington plans to attack they will have time to prepare a defense, a likelihood that would all but ensure defeat for the Continental soldiers.

While the film clearly takes some liberties with the facts, and condenses some events in order to move the story along, the main themes that emerge are in keeping with the historical record. Washington wrote to the Continental Army on numerous occasions to update them on his progress (or lack of progress) and to request money and supplies to continue the war effort. Throughout these letters, and in his conversations with his fellow officers and his troops, Washington is seen as a consistent and steady leader. He refuses to consider that surrender is an option, but he does not seem to have any unrealistic ideas about the condition of his army or the circumstances they face. He simply continues to provide calm, reassuring leadership, an approach that instills enough confidence in his troops to continue following him.

In his book, Fast makes it clear that Washington’s leadership skills and military savvy were not entirely inherent, and that he had to develop them and learn from his mistakes as he went. According to Fast, some of Washington’s mistakes in the early days of the Revolutionary War were made because he was willing to make “ridiculous compromise(s)” with other officers whom he believed might know better than he did (Fast, 6). By the time he found himself and his troops camped along the Delaware River, with winter rapidly descending upon them, Washington had learned to “trust only himself because there was no alternative” (Fast, 6).  At the same time, Washington was faced with the reality of his situation; as Fast notes of the campaigns in New York in 1776, Washington had lost roughly 16000 men in eight days to death, surrender, or capture (Fast 6). This “attrition was terrifying, and (Washington) and his officers knew it had only begun” (Fast, 6). With only several thousand men remaining, Washington had divided the troops under several Generals and led his contingent to Pennsylvania.

Where the film succeeds the most is in the ways it shows the human reality of the situations Washington faces. In the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware, he is seen in the bright light of morning, standing at the front of a small boat filled with soldiers, leading the way for other boats. In the film, the scene is quite different. It is the middle of the night, and Washington is pacing along McConkey’s Ferry (Dean, 7). The slow pace of loading the men into small boats is making Washington practically furious as he considers how quickly the hours are slipping away, and with them his chance of taking the Hessians by surprise. In this portrayal, he does not lead the troops across the river, though he does eventually decide to cross before all the others have made it to the banks of Trenton. In the film –and most likely in real life- Washington does not stand in the boat, but simply huddles with the other men in the cold winter air.

One small but notable moment in the film comes when the soldiers have all made it to the other side. As they march towards Trenton, Washington decides to split the troops into two separate contingents, so that each group can approach the Hessians from a different side. As he gives these orders, he steps down from his horse to walk alongside some of the soldiers and encourage them to keep going. While this may be one of the moments where the film takes some liberties, it demonstrates how Washington viewed himself, and his role as a leader. In this same scene, a young Alexander Hamilton –who would later play an instrumental role in Washington’s presidential administration- watches him admiringly. These scenes help to humanize Washington in ways that typical historical accounts do not.

In the film the Hessian troops are portrayed as mercenaries who are caught unaware by Washington largely because they were overconfident and let their guard down to celebrate Christmas. The reality of the situation is likely more complex. By some accounts the Hessians did not lose the Battle of Trenton because they were sleepy from the previous night’s celebrations, but because they too were exhausted and war-weary just as Washington’s troops were. On Christmas Day, Colonel Rall, one of the officers leading the Hessian troops in Trenton, wrote a letter to his British superiors claiming that his men were “extremely fatigued because of the miserable weather and continuous service” (Fischer, 205). Rall went on to write that his men were “in no condition to defend the post without relief and reinforcements” (Fischer, 205). Reports that the Hessians had engaged in heavy drinking and celebration for Christmas are disputed by many historical accounts, and it may have been simple exhaustion that explained why they were caught by surprise.

As is the case with many of the elements of the story, the film streamlines and simplifies the actual attack by Washington’s troops on the Hessians. In the film the Battle of Trenton is over in minutes, without a single member of the Continental Army being wounded or killed. What is not in dispute, however, is the role that the weather played in the battle, and here the film ably demonstrates how fate and fortune aligned in favor of Washington. The Hessian troops were not all sound asleep when Washington attacked, but they had likely let down their guard a bit because of the weather (Fischer, 207). The constant rain also meant that it was all but impossible to fire flintlocks, and the Continental Army attacked using everything from bayonets to swords to hand-to-hand combat. In these final scenes, the film explodes into violence, as Washington is shown surveying the scene with a grim look on his face. In these moments, the harsh reality of war is unavoidable and horrifying.

Any fictionalized account of the Revolutionary War is guaranteed to fall short in some ways. “The Crossing,” by necessity, must leave out many facts that would provide more context to the larger story. The British are not even portrayed in the movie; the only opposing forces are the Hessians, and Washington -and viewers- see them as faceless enemies motivated only be money. As the old saying goes, however, “history is written by the winners,” and this is, in the end, the story of the winning side of the war. Most of the larger points in the story are well-known: the ragtag army running short of food; the daring decision to cross the Delaware River; the sheer luck in catching the Hessians off guard; all these elements are common parts of the story of early American history. What “The Crossing” offers is the chance to consider the moments in between these events, where everyone –including Washington himself- recognized that defeat was not just a possibility, but a likelihood. It also ably demonstrates why Washington was such a revered leader, as his steady demeanor inspired the faith of those who followed him. Finally, the film reminds viewers how truly astonishing it is that Washington prevailed at Trenton. It is no exaggeration to say that the entire course of modern history hinged on the events of that day, a point that “The Crossing” successfully drives home.

References

Bonk, D. & Turner, G. (2009). Trenton and Princeton, 1776-77. Oxford: Osprey.

Dean, A. (2004). ‘Crossing the Delaware: George Washington Fights the Battle of Trenton. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing Group.

Fast, H. (1971). The Crossing. Newark, NJ: New Jersey Historical Society.

Fischer, D. H. (2004). Washington’s crossing. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

Kelly, C. B. & Smyer-Kelly, I. (2011). Best little stories from the American Revolution. Naperville, Ill.: Cumberland House.

Mccullough, D. G. (2007). 1776. New York: Simon & Schuster.

The Crossing. (2000). [film] US: Robert Harmon.