You really need to research your history. They had no idea if their plan would work. For all they knew the enemy could have been tipped off and they could have been going into an ambush. It was Christmas Eve with poor weather conditions and they had no idea what they'd find when they got there.
So why were Washington and his bedraggled Continental Army trying to cross an ice-choked Delaware River on a cold winter’s night? It wasn’t just to get to the other side. Washington’s aim was to conduct a surprise attack upon a Hessian garrison of roughly 1,400 soldiers located in and around Trenton, New Jersey. Washington hoped that a quick victory at Trenton would bolster sagging morale in his army and encourage more men to join the ranks of the Continentals come the new year. After several councils of war, General George Washington set the date for the river crossing for Christmas night 1776.
George Washington’s plan of attack included three different crossings of the Delaware River on Christmas night. Col. Cadwalader was to lead his force of 1,200 Philadelphia militia and 600 Continentals across the river near Burlington, New Jersey. His role was to harass and prevent the British and Hessian units near the town from racing north to support the Hessians at Trenton. Gen. James Ewing’s force of 800 Pennsylvania militia was to cross the river at Trenton and take up defensive positions along the Assunpink River and bridge. Ewing’s soldiers would work to prevent the Hessians from retreating from Trenton. And Washington and his 2,400 soldiers would cross at McConkey’s and Johnson’s ferries, roughly 10 miles north of Trenton and would then march down to Trenton to surprise the garrison at dawn. This was an ambitious plan, one that even well rested and experienced troops would have had difficulty in executing. Both Cadwalader and Ewing’s forces were unable to cross the ice-choked river. And Washington’s main force managed a crossing, but was more than three hours delayed.
Does that sound like they knew "exactly where they were going and what they were doing"? No, they just prayed to God it would go right. Their faith paid off, but they had no idea. Two of the boat crossings couldn't even get across the river. For all they knew they could be walking into certain death. So research history before you make statements like that.
At the time that painting portrays, the Colonials were on their last legs. They were about to lose the war. It was some relatively minor, at the time, actions that subtly turned it around. One being the crossing of the Delaware.
Difference was, they knew exactly where they were going and what they were doing.
We've been told to sit on our thumbs and wait and some ethereal entity will fix everything for us.
LOL, no, they didn't.
Who told you that?
You really need to research your history. They had no idea if their plan would work. For all they knew the enemy could have been tipped off and they could have been going into an ambush. It was Christmas Eve with poor weather conditions and they had no idea what they'd find when they got there.
https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/washingtons-revolutionary-war-battles/the-trenton-princeton-campaign/10-facts-about-washingtons-crossing-of-the-delaware-river/
Does that sound like they knew "exactly where they were going and what they were doing"? No, they just prayed to God it would go right. Their faith paid off, but they had no idea. Two of the boat crossings couldn't even get across the river. For all they knew they could be walking into certain death. So research history before you make statements like that.
At the time that painting portrays, the Colonials were on their last legs. They were about to lose the war. It was some relatively minor, at the time, actions that subtly turned it around. One being the crossing of the Delaware.