WEBVTT - Christmas, 1776 0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:13.200 And we continue with our American stories and more of 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:18.040 our Christmas storytelling, which we're doing all month long. It's 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:22.320 called the First American Christmas because the Declaration of Independence 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:27.960 was created the previous summer, essentially divorcing America from England 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:32.640 and declaring our country as an independent nation. Here is 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:36.280 the story of Christmas seventeen seventy six. 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:39.199 My name's Brian Benjamin. 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:42.920 I recently wrote a children's book entitled Christmas seventeen seventy 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:44.640 six that I'll be reading for you today. 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:47.599 It covers the Revolutionary War. 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:50.479 And follows George Washington and the Continental Army in the 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:54.200 late months of seventeen seventy six as they were fighting 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:59.040 and mostly losing to the British for American independence. It 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:01.760 of course culminates in the famous crossing of the Delaware 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:04.520 River on Christmas Night seventeen seventy six. 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:10.360 This book, I was actually. 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:14.200 Reading a biography of George Washington, and I got to 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:19.720 the part where the Continental Army is in Pennsylvania, Christmas 0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:22.520 is approaching and the war is looking really bleak, and 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:25.199 you know they planned the crossing of the Delaware River. 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:28.839 The two things that struck me were one I didn't 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.760 realize how bleak the picture was for the Americans. 0:01:33.000 --> 0:01:34.199 At this point during the war. 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:39.480 We were really getting kicked around by the British, and 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:43.880 heading into that winter of seventeen seventy six, the cause 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:47.680 of American independence did not look well. And the other 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:51.400 thing that struck me was how history really turned on 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:56.160 a dime with this attack. But this really saved America's cause, 0:01:56.680 --> 0:01:58.200 And so I tried to put that in the book. 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:00.200 You know, it is a children's books, but try to 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:03.840 get across both the America was an underdog and was 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:07.560 it was not looking good, and also that contingency of 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:10.240 things could have gone different in their cases where America 0:02:10.320 --> 0:02:13.680 doesn't come through this. But with the brave actions of 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:17.200 these men, led by George Washington, they saved American independence 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:23.400 starting on Christmas night, So without further ado, Christmas seventeen 0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:30.200 seventy six, the year was seventeen seventy six, America faced 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:36.200 a crisis to fix British taxation without representation angered Americans 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:39.760 of every station. They sought the freedom to make their 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:44.440 own laws, the right to liberty their sacred cause. American 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:48.359 patriots took up their arms, They left their homes, their 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:53.040 shops their farms. These farm boys had grit, but little training. 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:58.080 The experience they lacked they would soon be gaining. General 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:03.040 George Washington would lead them to fight Britain's oppressive imperial might. 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:08.480 George Washington was an American born and bred, taller than 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:11.919 most men by a head. With six brothers three sisters, 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:15.079 he grew up strong. The start of his adventures did 0:03:15.080 --> 0:03:18.960 not take long. He fought in the French and Indian War, 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:23.600 and by the end he'd entered American loar. When the 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:27.720 Revolutionary War broke out, America needed a leader no one 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:32.160 could doubt. They turned to their only living legend. Barely 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:35.880 another name was mentioned. George Washington would lead them in 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:39.120 this war to take on all the British had in store. 0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:45.640 They'd face British regulars, skillfully taught, perfectly disciplined. Before they fought, 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:49.440 the Brits had a few other friends. They'd brought some 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:53.760 German soldiers whose support they'd bought, and all these troops 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:59.000 would cross the sea aboard the world's best navy. General 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:03.160 Washington and his new army prepared to defend New York City. 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:08.280 This coveted crown jewel of the colonies stood especially vulnerable 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:13.800 to attack by sea. The Americans worked to fortify their 0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:16.800 shore before the Brits arrived to kick off the war. 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:20.599 The British came with one hundred ships or more and 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:25.480 three times the men, or maybe four. The Americans tried 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:28.359 to stand their ground, but the bridge showed up and 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:33.719 beat them sound from Long Island. They were displaced from Manhattan. 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:36.719 They were quickly chased from the banks of the Hudson. 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:41.520 They were erased and into New Jersey. They ran, disgraced. 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:44.080 To the Delaware River. 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:48.159 They anxiously fled. They crossed to safety, but were filled 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:51.960 with dread. The war was less than two years old 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:56.160 and the Americans were stranded in the cold, their greatest 0:04:56.160 --> 0:05:01.159 city conquered, lost their treasury, wiped doubt by the cost. 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:05.840 Many Americans began to doubt and feared they faced a 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:09.920 certain route. The Brits pursued all the way to the river, 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:14.240 then looked across and saw their enemies shiver. With winter 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:18.200 coming December. Here, the Redcoats felt they'd had a good year. 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:23.799 They retreated to conquered Nyc, to warm beds and Tory hospitality. 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:28.599 They left behind their German dogs of war to guard 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:35.320 the Delawares Jersey shore. With American hopes plainly fading and 0:05:35.360 --> 0:05:40.360 British troops relaxing celebrating, Washington knew he must take bold 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:45.160 action for the revolution to regain some traction. He gathered 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:48.200 his men to plan and plot how to grab the 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:55.320 victory they so desperately sought. They decided on a holy 0:05:55.440 --> 0:06:00.280 night to begin their brave and noble fight. On Christmas night, 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:04.239 they would embark and cross the river in the dark, 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:09.239 then march ten miles to surprise their foes, and arrived 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:13.960 to attack just as the sun rose. Awaiting their final orders, 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:19.760 the men held their breath. George Washington stated gravely, victory 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:25.440 or death. With the plan all set now just to wait. 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:28.400 They must keep the plan a secret and their heads 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:32.279 on straight. They braved a tense Christmas Eve and mourn, 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:35.279 then approached the ships on which they'd be borne. 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:38.320 In a light rain. 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:43.680 General Washington crossed first. The river was choppy with ice interspersed. 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:47.679 When the sun fell on that Christmas day, the weather 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:52.800 turned and their plan gave way in an army with 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:56.200 men of every station, twas the fishermen that rose to 0:06:56.279 --> 0:07:01.560 this occasion. These expert sailors guided boat after boat across 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:06.720 nature's deadly makeshift mote. The rain had shifted to snow 0:07:07.000 --> 0:07:12.280 and hail, but these brave men refused to fail. They 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:16.240 moved twenty four hundred men across, and not a single 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:20.600 soul was lost. But the vicious weather had another cost. 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:27.360 Three hours against the plan were lost. Finally, by four am, 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:31.200 their march began, and they braved the elements to a man, 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:35.480 They marched ten miles in hail and snow to meet 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:36.600 their skilled. 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:37.960 And rested foe. 0:07:38.040 --> 0:07:41.240 They arrived well after the morning sun, not sure if 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:45.120 by their lateness they'd been undone, these brave men charged 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:48.320 from the woods at a run, and the German mercenaries 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:52.080 were simply stunned. How could an army arrive ready to 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:57.520 fight after the terrible weather of the previous night. General 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:01.320 Washington led from the front on horseback and rebuffed every 0:08:01.360 --> 0:08:10.080 German counterattack. American cannons fired with precision, guided by Alexander Hamilton, 0:08:11.360 --> 0:08:15.400 they raced through the town, took prisoners galore. They shocked 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:19.800 the mercenaries pressing for more. The Germans lost almost one 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:26.000 thousand men, the Americans lost less than ten. After battling 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:28.880 the weather all through the night, it took less than 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:32.640 an hour to finish the fight. The next ten days 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:36.760 were a complete whirlwind. They crossed the river back and again, 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:41.160 first to deposit their prisoners in booty, then returning to 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:45.520 continue their tour of duty. They stimied a British assault 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:50.600 at Trenton, then launched a surprise attack at Princeton. At Princeton, 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.559 the fame British regulars were beat and the world was 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:57.920 astounded by this colonial feat. In the space of ten days, 0:08:58.080 --> 0:09:01.559 they'd secured two victories. In the space of ten days, 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:06.000 they'd changed the course of history. On Christmas Eve, the 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:10.000 American cause had been dead, but now Britain was back 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:14.200 on its heels instead. The morale of the troops and 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:18.079 colonists soared. They again believed in what they were marching toward, 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:23.240 towards life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, to secure 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:29.800 their rights and to crush British haughtiness. America's birth was 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:32.760 never a certainty, but it was filled with men that 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:36.600 would fight for it fervently. These brave men volunteered to 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:40.560 fight and die, not knowing what their sacrifices might buy. 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:45.040 But we know the eventual success of their plan and 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:49.120 the day America's future began, the day their deeds left 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:53.679 the world Transfixed Christmas seventeen seventy six. 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:58.600 And a terrific job on the production and editing by 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:02.319 our own Craig Hangler, and a special thanks to Brian Benjamin. 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:08.079 Is beautifully illustrated book Christmas seventeen seventy six is available 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:11.920 wherever you buy your books, head over to Amazon or 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:15.440 the usual suspects. And what a story he tells, and 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:18.080 what a great way to share it with a child 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:21.160 or a grandchild. And we try to tell every kind 0:10:21.160 --> 0:10:24.360 of story but also in every kind of way. And 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:28.160 my goodness to hear the Battle of Christmas seventeen seventy 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:33.800 six reduced to rhyming poem, while it's just spectacular the 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:38.120 story of Christmas seventeen seventy six as told in rhyming 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:42.719 verse by Brian Benjamin. Here on our American Stories