On This Day, 1776: Despite freezing rain, snow, and terrifying winds - “it blew a perfect hurricane” one soldier said - George Washington led his army across the Delaware River on a surprise raid on a garrison of Hessian troops at Trenton /1 
Washington's crossing of the Delaware was portrayed in this highly inaccurate 1851 painting by Emanuel Leutze (shown here at Metropolitan Museum of Art). Among other things, the stars and stripes didn't exist in 1776 /2
Washington’s plan included three separate river crossings, but only one made it across. And it wasn't a total surprise: spies and deserters had informed the British and Hessians that Trenton would probably be attacked /3
Washington had a carefully planned timetable, but fell far behind schedule and nearly cancelled the attack. Here: a recreation of his plan of operations for New Jersey (via Library of Congress) /4
"Victory or Death" was Washington's security phrase during the operation. It took four hours for his army to cross the river and march ten miles through fierce winds, snow and freezing rain. A future president - James Monroe - was wounded and nearly bled to death in the battle /5
In the next 48 hours of 1776, Washington began a 10-day campaign that Frederick the Great described as “The most brilliant of any recorded in the annals of military achievements.” ##
On This Day, 1868: Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to all Confederate soldiers from the Civil War. He hoped it would “restore confidence and fraternal feeling among the whole people, and their respect for and attachment to the National Government"
