 On the night of December 25 – 26 , 1776 General George Washington , Commander @-@ in @-@ chief of the Continental Army , led 2 @,@ 400 men across the Delaware River . After a nine @-@ mile march , they seized the town of Trenton on the morning of the 26th , killing or wounding over 100 Hessians and capturing 900 more . Soon after capturing the town , Washington led the army back across the Delaware into Pennsylvania . On the 29th , Washington once again led the army across the river , and established a defensive position at Trenton . On the 31st , Washington appealed to his men , whose enlistments expired at the end of the year , " Stay for just six more weeks for an extra bounty of ten dollars . " His appeal worked , and most of the men agreed to stay . Also , that day , Washington learned that Congress had voted to give him wide @-@ ranging powers for six months that are often described as dictatorial . 
