ns
at Trenton and had been under suspicion of cowardice ever since, had
somewhat redeemed his reputation in that he had boldly ridden down upon
the riflemen, and had been killed. It was late in the evening when the
advance parties crossed the bridge over the creek and sought safety
behind the lines. Indefatigable General Knox had concentrated thirty
pieces of cannon at the bridge--"A very pretty battery," he called it.

It was dusk when the eager Americans saw the head of the British army
coming through the streets. They remained silent while the enemy
formed, and advanced to attack the bridge and the fords in heavy
columns at the same time. The men came on in a solid mass for the
bridge head, cheering gallantly. They were met by Knox's artillery and
a steady fire from the riflemen. Three times they crashed on that
bridge like a mighty wave, and three times like a wave broken they fell
back before an awful storm of fire. General Washington himself,
sitting on his white horse, gave the orders at the bridge, and the
brave enemy were repulsed. The position was too strong to be taken by
direct assault without great loss; besides, it was not vital after
all--so reasoned Cornwallis. The British soldiery were weary, they had
marched all day at a hot pace and were exhausted. They had not lived
in a chronic state of exhaustion for so long that they never gave it a
thought; they were not used to it, as were the Continentals, and when
the British were tired they had to rest. They would be in better
spirit on the morrow. The creek was fordable in a dozen places, but
Cornwallis resisted the importunities of some of his officers, who
wished to ford it and attack at once; he sent urgent messengers off to
Princeton to bring up the two thousand men left there with Von Donop,
and to hurry up Leslie with the rear guard, six miles away; when they
arrived they could turn the right flank of the Americans, and it would
be all up with them then. He thought he had Washington at such a
disadvantage that he could not escape, though the small advantage of
position might enable him to make a desperate resistance, even with his
inferior forces.

"We will wait," he said to Erskine, "until Von Donop comes up, and
Leslie, and then we 'll bag the 'old fox' in the morning!"

So, after brisk firing on both sides until night closed down, the
camp-fires were lighted on both sides of the creek; and the British
officer went to sleep, calmly co