Washington Crossed the Delaware
Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Near this spot Washington Crossed the Delaware
The Story
Near this spot on the night of December 25–26, 1776, George Washington led the Continental Army across the ice-choked Delaware River in a daring surprise maneuver. The crossing set up the victory at Trenton the next morning, a stunning reversal that revived the flagging American cause at one of the Revolution's darkest moments. The Pennsylvania bank where the troops embarked is remembered as one of the war's most storied sites.
Why it matters
The Delaware crossing became the emblem of American perseverance against long odds — a turning point that helped keep the Revolution alive.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
By the closing weeks of 1776, the American Revolution was in real danger of collapse. The Continental Army had been driven across New Jersey and had retreated to the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, battered, shrinking, and low on hope. Enlistments were about to expire, and with them, perhaps, the cause itself.
The Delaware River formed the fragile line between a faltering army and the enemy. Along the Pennsylvania bank in Bucks County, George Washington gathered what remained of his force in the bitter cold of late December, weighing a gamble that could either revive the Revolution or end it.
The river that winter was choked with ice — a formidable barrier, and exactly the reason a crossing seemed so unlikely. That improbability was the whole point: Washington was counting on surprise at a moment when few believed his army capable of striking at all.
People & events
On the night of December 25–26, 1776, near this spot, George Washington led the Continental Army across the ice-choked Delaware in one of the boldest maneuvers of the war. Through darkness and freezing weather, men and equipment were ferried over the treacherous river.
The crossing set up a surprise attack at Trenton the next morning. That victory — a stunning reversal after a season of defeats — is precisely what makes this stretch of riverbank so storied. The daring of the night and the triumph of the morning are bound together in memory.
The simple words "Near this spot" carry real weight. They fix the drama of that night to a specific place along the Pennsylvania shore, the ground from which the troops embarked into the dark and into one of the Revolution's most famous episodes.
Its place in the American story
The crossing of the Delaware became one of the defining emblems of the American Revolution — a symbol of perseverance against long odds. At the war's darkest hour, a small, worn army took an enormous risk and won, and in doing so kept the fight for independence alive.
Its power lies partly in the timing. Coming after a string of losses, the crossing and the victory at Trenton restored belief — among soldiers, among leaders, and among a public that had begun to doubt. It turned a season of retreat into a story of renewal.
Generations of Americans have returned to this moment as a touchstone of resolve, retold in history, art, and public memory. To stand where it began is to stand at one of the true hinge points of the nation's founding struggle.
If you visit
You'll find this monument along the Pennsylvania bank of the Delaware in Bucks County, near the ground where Washington's men set out. Take in the river itself — its width and current — and try to imagine it clogged with ice on a freezing December night. The setting does much of the storytelling.
Read the marker's few plain words and let them anchor the scene to this exact place. Part of the site's appeal is how understated the monument is against the enormity of what happened here.
The river corridor is a rewarding place to explore on foot, with the water, the banks, and the sense of history close at hand. A visit here pairs well with the broader landscape of Revolutionary sites in the region — a chance to trace, in order, the events of that pivotal winter.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · George Washington
Related events
- · Crossing of the Delaware
- · Battle of Trenton
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Washington and His Army Crossed the Delaware
Hopewell Township, NJ
On the bitter night of December 25, 1776, George Washington ferried the Continental Army across the ice-choked Delaware River in a daring surprise maneuver, then marched inland through freezing sleet toward Trenton. The gamble came at one of the Revolution's darkest hours, with enlistments expiring and the cause near collapse. The next morning his troops overwhelmed the Hessian garrison at Trenton in a stunning, nearly bloodless victory. Markers like this one trace the routes and river approaches the army used on that pivotal march.
Washington Crossing
Upper Makefield Township, PA · est. 1947
On the night of Christmas 1776, George Washington and his men crossed the ice-choked Delaware River from this vicinity, enduring sleet and bitter cold in a daring gamble. Marching through the storm, they surprised the Hessian garrison at Trenton the next morning and won a decisive victory. Coming after a string of demoralizing defeats, the triumph revived a patriot cause many had feared was collapsing.
Loyalist Raid of 1778
Newtown, PA · est. 2001
On February 19, 1778, with the British holding Philadelphia and Washington's army wintering at Valley Forge, roughly 40 armed Loyalists raided the tavern that stood here. The fighting left five American soldiers dead, four wounded, and eleven captured. Tailors working at the site had been sewing uniforms for the troops at Valley Forge, and some 2,000 yards of cloth were carried off.
Summerseat
Morrisville, PA · est. 1949
Built in 1773 by Thomas Barkley, this fine house near Morrisville briefly sheltered George Washington and his army from December 8 to 14, 1776, in the desperate weeks before the crossing of the Delaware. Its later owners included Robert Morris, financier of the Revolution, and George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The house was restored in 1931.