Here’s the story I used to tell my students. Washington’s attack on Trenton should not have come as a surprise. The vaunted Hessians should have been prepared and should have easily defeated the daring risk that Washington took. If he had been defeated, morale would have plummeted and all those Continental soldiers whose enlistments were coming up would have gone home. Come spring, Washington’s constantly defeated army would be a shell and independence probably would have failed. The Thirteen Colonies would have gone the route of Canada. But instead, the Hessians were caught in bed. This should not have happened because their Col. Johann Rall had been warned the night before. A spy came to Rall’s headquarters with information that Washington was crossing the Delaware that night and would attack the next day. Rall was enjoying a card game and when an aide came to him with word that a spy was there with important intelligence, Rall told the aide to have the spy write the info on a piece of paper. When the paper was brought to him, Rall was busy dealing cards and he put the note in his pocket. Washington’s attack was a surprise, the Hessians were badly defeated, and Rall was mortally wounded. After he died, the note was found in his pocket. Washington’s soldiers were thrilled with the victory and many decided to fight on.
There is some dispute about the story of the unread note. Another version is that Rall was warned by the British commander in New Jersey. Gen. James Grant had gotten information about an impending attack and passed it on to Rall. He later complained that Rall had done nothing about it. Rall had refused to fortify the town, despite many officers recommending it. Rall had a very low opinion of the Continental Army. “Let them come. We will go at them with the bayonet.” A possible explanation for Rall disregarding the warning was there was guerrilla raid on one of his outposts on Christmas night and Rall assumed this was the forewarned attack. He went to bed and slept easy. He got a rude awakening. And the Continental Army was reawakened.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jul-06-adna-geo6-story.html
https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/hessians-fortify-trenton/
https://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/education/docs/hh-Rall%20at%20Trenton.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trenton#Hessian_moves
Col. Rall takes a ball in the chest with a note in his pocket
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