How Revolutionary War Sailors Braved Freezing Waters to Rescue Washington’s Army

"Passage of The Delaware," by Thomas Sully, 1819. Library of Congress. Public Domain

When George Washington took command of the Colonial forces in 1775, his immediate goal was to keep the British bottled up in Boston. Although he had no navy to block the coast, he reasoned that freezing winter temperatures would work in his favor. Yet he needed more. He found it in John Glover and the seamen from Marblehead.

Glover’s seamen were experienced in privateering, an ancient practice of converting merchant ships into warships; these could capture British supply ships and deliver their cargo to the Colonists. Washington leased one of Glover’s ships to make a test run. It was such a success that he asked Glover to outfit seven more.

The little fleet became “Washington’s Cruisers.” They were like a swarm of pesky hornets bringing in guns, ammunition, and even food from British ships. Suddenly, muskets meant for English soldiers were in the hands of Americans, and oranges meant for a British officer were being served at Washington’s table.

Stymied in Boston, the British moved to New York. Washington’s forces, including Glover and his men, followed. Then, King George sent a massive fleet to New York, and things went from bad to worse. Within months, Washington’s forces were trapped on Long Island like geese in a pen. Surrender seemed inescapable, until the night a sudden summer storm dampened the gunpowder on both sides. The British decided to hunker down, confident the know-nothing rebels would be easy to capture in the morning.

Print of “George Washington Crossing the Delaware River” by Emanuel Leutze, circa 1912–1913. Library of Congress. Public Domain

Washington, however, had other ideas. He asked Glover if his men could get the Americans off Long Island under cover of night. Glover replied with a confident thumbs up, and he was given an oddball collection of sailing ships, pleasure boats, sloops, and rowboats—basically anything that could be rounded up at the last minute. The dark-of-night escape was going well until the wind changed and sails became useless. Then it was grunt work, rowing against the wind by sheer determination with no rest and little food.

At dawn, a British sentry discovered that the Americans were fleeing and sounded the alarm. As English guns began to fire, a heavy fog rolled in and hid the American boats from view. When the fog lifted, the rebels had escaped, the last man in the last boat being George Washington.

The Marblehead Men Had Prepared Well

In the late 1700s when Britain got heavy-handed with its Colonies, successful shipowners like John Glover had formed a local regiment of seamen and held weekly drill sessions. The years at sea had instilled discipline and teamwork. When the fighting broke out in Lexington and Concord, Glover and his men marched south to join Washington, who was quick to notice their discipline and Glover’s leadership.

Even after a series of American retreats, and a drop in morale, Glover and his Marblehead seamen stood firm. They became an important part of the surprise attack planned for Christmas morning in 1776. The target was Hessian troops in Trenton, New Jersey.

The Surprise Attack at Trenton

This time, Glover was given a combination of regular river ferries for the cannon and horses as well as sturdy flat-bottom barges for the men. But could he get 2,400 men across the Delaware River undetected during the dark hours of the night? Glover was quoted as saying, “Not to be troubled about that, as the boys could manage it.”

The bronze monument of Gen. John Glover by Martin Milmore was erected along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Boston, in 1875. 2p2play/Shutterstock

The current was strong, and the river was high and rapidly becoming choked with ice as temperatures dropped, and snow, hail, and sleet set in. It was four in the morning before the men and cannon made it to New Jersey, with the gunpowder soaked and useless. Victory depended on cannon, bayonets, and surprise. And it worked. Nine hundred Hessians were taken prisoner that night and 22 officers killed. Yet Glover’s work was not over. Washington, thinking the British might attempt a rescue, asked the Marblehead men to take the Hessian prisoners back across the river. Back they went, poling upstream against wind and floating ice. It was a mission that lasted 36 hours without a break for food or sleep.

The third crossing of the Delaware came on December 29, still under horrendous blizzard conditions. American troops fought Lord Charles Cornwallis at Princeton and emerged victorious. After Trenton and Princeton, Glover’s men moved north to Saratoga to battle a British invasion from Canada. They fought like tigers, dashing through gunfire and using bayonets with the same nimbleness that they had used to climb the rigging of their ships.

But nothing compares to the river boat rescues of Washington’s Army on Long Island or the three crossings of the Delaware. If any one of those operations had failed, we would likely be bowing to British royalty and not saluting the Stars and Stripes of freedom-loving America. Bless the seamen of Marblehead and their feisty leader, Maj. Gen. John Glover.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.