owhere more fully
confessed than in the British camp, where it was now gloomily spoken of
as the tragedy of Trenton.

Footnotes:

[1] Harris says that Rall had intelligence of the intended attack, and
kept his men under arms the whole night. Long after daybreak, a most
violent snow-storm coming on, he thought he might safely permit his men
to lie down, and in this state they were surprised by the
enemy.--_Life_, p. 64.

[2] General Knox's account is here followed.--_Memoir_, p. 38.

XI

THE FLANK MARCH TO PRINCETON

[Sidenote: Cadwalader crosses.]

The events of the next two days, apart from Washington's own movements,
are a real comedy of errors. The firing at Trenton had been distinctly
heard at Cadwalader's camp and its reason guessed. Later, rumors of the
result threw the camps into the wildest excitement. Bitterly now these
men regretted that they had not pushed on to the aid of their comrades.
Supposing Washington still to be at Trenton, Cadwalader made a second
attempt to cross to his assistance at Bristol on the 27th, when, in
fact, Washington was then back in Pennsylvania.[1]

Cadwalader thus put himself into precisely the same situation from which
Washington had just hastened to extricate himself. But neither had
foreseen the panic which had seized the enemy on hearing of the surprise
of Trenton.

[Sidenote: At Bordentown.]

On getting over the river, Cadwalader learned the true state of things,
which placed him in a very awkward dilemma as to what he should do next.
As his troops were eager to emulate the brilliant successes of their
comrades, he decided, however, to go in search of Donop. He therefore
marched up to Burlington the same afternoon. The enemy had left it the
day before. He then made a night march to Bordentown, which was also
found deserted in haste. Crosswicks, another outpost lying toward
Princeton, was next seized by a detachment. That, too, had been
hurriedly abandoned. Cadwalader could find nobody to attack or to attack
him. The stupefied people only knew that their villages had been
suddenly evacuated. In short, the enemy's whole line had been swept away
like dead leaves before an autumnal gale, under that one telling blow at
Trenton.

Even Washington himself seems not to have realized the full extent of
his success until these astonishing reports came in in quick succession.
As the elated Americans marched on they saw the inhabitants everywhere
pulling down the r