As we enter December we enter the critical month of the Revolution. In December 1776, five months after the Declaration of Independence and over a year and a half into the war, Washington had lost New York City and retreated across the Delaware River. On Christmas Day, he recrossed and next morning, December 26, 1776, won the political and military victory at Trenton. The First Battle of Trenton--more a raid that lasted no more than an hour--boosted the morale of the new Continental Army.
Trenton today is a post-industrial city marked by loss of its industrial base and population. As this is written, its mayor is under indictment for corruption. We can look at this image of the reenactment of the battle, on the same ground (Warren Street, then King Street) where Washington's men fought, and reflect upon a city that held such historic importance two centuries ago, and to where it has fallen.