The Crossing | |
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Genre | Historical drama |
Based on | The Crossing by Howard Fast |
Written by | Howard Fast |
Directed by | Robert Harmon |
Starring |
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Music by | Gary Chang |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | David Coatsworth |
Cinematography | Rene Ohashi |
Editor | Zach Staenberg |
Running time | 89 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | A&E |
Release | January 10, 2000 |
The Crossing is a 2000 American television historical drama film about George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River and the Battle of Trenton. Directed by Robert Harmon and adapted by Howard Fast from his novel of the same name, the film stars Jeff Daniels as George Washington. [1] Also appearing are Roger Rees as Hugh Mercer, Sebastian Roché as John Glover, and Steven McCarthy as Alexander Hamilton. [2] The film premiered on A&E on January 10, 2000. [3]
After repeated defeats during the American Revolutionary War's campaign of 1776, the Continental Army retreats across New Jersey. In the past six months, they have lost New York City and been chased through New Jersey by the British, and 90 percent of their troops have either been killed, taken prisoner, or deserted.
After the army narrowly escapes across the Delaware River to the Pennsylvania shore, it is in possession of the only boats of any use on that stretch of the Delaware, obtaining it a reprieve from further pursuit until the river freezes, which will allow the British to cross from New Jersey and capture Philadelphia. General Hugh Mercer reminds General George Washington, the commander of the Continental Army, that their supplies of food, medicine, ammunition and winter clothing are dangerously low.
Realizing that the Revolution will collapse unless he finds a solution, Washington conceives a plan to cross back across the Delaware and conduct a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton. Washington queries Colonel John Glover, an experienced mariner from Marblehead, Massachusetts whose troops have previously effected Continental evacuations by boat, about the feasibility of the plan. Glover calls the task of moving Washington’s troops across the river in one night during freezing weather impossible, but says it must be done to save the Revolution, so his men and he will do it.
Washington proposes the plan to his staff and subordinate commanders and General Horatio Gates picks it apart, then suggests that Washington relinquish his command. Washington orders Gates to be silent and tells Alexander Hamilton to escort Gates out of camp at gunpoint. After Gates has left, the group laughs, but Washington and Glover silence them by reiterating the seriousness of the situation and the risks associated with the battle plan. On Christmas night, the Hessians will be feasting and drinking, so early on the following morning the Continentals will attack while the Hessians are tired and sluggish. The officers have only a few days to prepare their troops and weapons, and to maintain the element of surprise the soldiers are told no more than necessary.
Despite low morale, fatigue and bad winter weather, Washington lifts his soldiers' spirits and Glover supervises the crossing from the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware to the New Jersey side on the night of December 25–26, 1776. The crossing is completed on the morning of December 26, though it is behind schedule and the sun has risen, increasing the risk that the operation will be discovered. Washington's troops march to Trenton and attack at eight o'clock. They achieve a stunning victory over the surprised Hessians and capture almost the entire garrison.
Filming took place in April and May 1999, in Toronto. [3] [4]
The Crossing contains several minor errors and historical anachronisms. [5] Among them are that in December 1776, Gates was not removed from camp at gunpoint. [5] In addition, at the time in which the film is set, Alexander Hamilton had not yet joined Washington's staff. [6] During the Battle of Trenton, Hamilton commanded an artillery battery that fired from a high point near the center of town, which prevented the Hessians from organizing a defense or escaping. [6]
Details presented during the closing credits claim that none of Washington's men were killed or wounded. [5] In fact, two Continental soldiers froze to death during the march and five were wounded during the attack, including James Monroe. [5] [7]
The Crossing won a Peabody Award for excellence in 2000. [8] Cinematographer Rene Ohashi also won the 2001 ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Mini-Series/Pilot, [9] and the film's sound team was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special. [9]
The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood in Princeton. Following a surprise attack at Trenton early in the morning of December 26, 1776, General George Washington of the Continental Army decided to attack the British in New Jersey before entering the winter quarters. On December 30, he crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey. His troops followed on January 3, 1777. Washington advanced to Princeton by a back road, where he pushed back a smaller British force but had to retreat before Cornwallis arrived with reinforcements. The battles of Trenton and Princeton were a boost to the morale of the patriot cause, leading many recruits to join the Continental Army in the spring.
The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton the previous night, Washington led the main body of the Continental Army against Hessian auxiliaries garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, almost two-thirds of the Hessian force were captured, with negligible losses to the Americans. The battle significantly boosted the Continental Army's waning morale, and inspired re-enlistments.
The Battle of White Plains took place during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War on October 28, 1776, near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward from New York City, British General William Howe landed troops in Westchester County, intending to cut off Washington's escape route. Alerted to this move, Washington retreated farther, establishing a position in the village of White Plains but failing to establish firm control over local high ground. Howe's troops drove Washington's troops from a hill near the village; following this loss, Washington ordered the Americans to retreat farther north.
The New York and New Jersey campaign in 1776 and the winter months of 1777 was a series of American Revolutionary War battles for control of the Port of New York and the state of New Jersey, fought between British forces under General Sir William Howe and the Continental Army under General George Washington. Howe was successful in driving Washington out of New York, but overextended his reach into New Jersey, and ended the New York and New Jersey campaign in January 1777 with only a few outposts near New York City under British control. The British held New York Harbor for the rest of the Revolutionary War, using it as a base for expeditions against other targets.
Washington Crossing State Park is a 3,575-acre (14 km2) New Jersey state park that is part of Washington's Crossing, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area. It is located in the Washington Crossing and Titusville sections of Hopewell Township in Mercer County, north of Trenton along the Delaware River. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry. It is supported by the Washington Crossing Park Association, a friends group that works to preserve, enhance, and advocate for the park.
Hugh Mercer was a Scottish brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the New York and New Jersey campaign and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Princeton.
The Battle of Pell's Point, also known as the Battle of Pelham, was a skirmish fought between British and American troops during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The conflict took place in what is now part of Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, New York City and the villages of Pelham Manor and Pelham in Westchester County, New York.
George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, which occurred on the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, was the first move in a complex and surprise military maneuver organized by George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, which culminated in their attack on Hessian forces garrisoned at Trenton. The Hessians were German mercenaries hired by the British.
The Battle of the Assunpink Creek, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, was a battle between American and British troops that took place in and around Trenton, New Jersey, on January 2, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, and resulted in an American victory.
New Jersey played a central role in the American Revolution both politically and militarily. It was the site of more than 90 military engagements, including the pivotal battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth. George Washington led his army across the state four times and encamped there during three hard winters, enduring some of the greatest's setbacks of the war as well as seminal victories. New Jersey's decisive role in the conflict earned it the title, "Crossroads of the American Revolution".
The 14th Continental Regiment, also known as the Marblehead Regiment and Glover's Regiment, was raised as a Massachusetts militia regiment in 1775, and taken into the Continental Army establishment during the summer of 1775. When the Continental Army was reestablished for 1776, the regiment was redesignated the 14th Continental. Composed of seafaring men from the area around Marblehead, Massachusetts, it manned the boats during the New York and New Jersey campaign of 1776 and the crossing of the Delaware River before and after the Battle of Trenton. The men of the regiment were only enlisted for one and a half years, and the regiment was disbanded on December 31, 1776, in eastern Pennsylvania.
The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in New York on November 16, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. It was a British victory that gained the surrender of the remnant of the garrison of Fort Washington near the north end of Manhattan. It was one of the worst Patriot defeats of the war.
John Glover was an American fisherman, merchant, politician, and military leader from Marblehead, Massachusetts, who served as a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is most famous in American history for his role in helping found what would become the United States Navy, along with his regiment rowing Washington across the Delaware, the Battle of Long Island, and leading one of the first integrated regiments in the American Revolution.
The Old Barracks Museum, also known just as the Old Barracks, is a historic building located at 101 Barracks Street in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Built in 1758 to house soldiers of the British Army, it is the only remaining colonial barracks in the state and is one of the few tangible surviving elements of the 1776 Battle of Trenton. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 1971 and listed as a National Historic Landmark on November 28, 1972, for its significance in military history. It is now a state-run historic site and museum.
The Trenton Battle Monument is a massive column-type structure in the Battle Monument section of Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It commemorates the December 26, 1776, Battle of Trenton, a pivotal victory for the Continental forces and commander George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.
The Battle of Trenton was fought on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War campaign for New Jersey. In a surprise attack, the Continental Army led by George Washington attacked the winter quarters of a brigade composed primarily of German troops from Hesse-Kassel in Trenton, New Jersey. The Hessian brigade was under the command of Colonel Johann Rall; he died of wounds sustained in the battle, and about two thirds of his men were taken prisoner. It was the first major victory after a long string of defeats that had resulted in the loss of New York City, and was a significant boost to American morale. It was followed by two more American victories, first in a second battle at Trenton on January 2, 1777, and then on January 3 at Princeton.
John Mott was a captain in the 1st Hunterdon Regiment of the New Jersey militia during the American Revolutionary War. He served as a guide to General George Washington and the Continental Army during their march down along the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton.
The 4th Continental Artillery Regiment, also known as Reign's Continental Artillery Regiment, was an American military unit during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment became part of the Continental Army on 10 June 1777 as Colonel Thomas Proctor's Continental Artillery Regiment. It was made up of eight artillery companies from eastern Pennsylvania. At the time of the regiment's formation, two companies were already in existence, one from as early as October 1775. One company served at Trenton in December 1776 where it performed well in action. In February 1777, Pennsylvania expanded its two-company battalion into an eight-company regiment. After officially joining the Continental Army, the regiment saw much fighting in the Philadelphia campaign in late 1777. Elements of Proctor's Regiment fought at Monmouth in June 1778 and joined the Sullivan Expedition in summer 1779.
Daniel Hitchcock was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Yale University. He moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where he became an attorney and was suspected by the authorities of involvement in the Gaspee Affair. At the start of the American Revolutionary War he formed Hitchcock's Regiment of infantry in the Rhode Island Army of Observation. He was first appointed lieutenant colonel in command of the regiment when it marched to serve in the Siege of Boston in 1775. His regiment was renamed the 11th Continental Regiment during 1776. That year, he led his troops at Long Island, Harlem Heights, and White Plains.
Abraham Hunt (1741–1821) was a wealthy American merchant and farmer in Trenton, New Jersey, first Postmaster of Trenton, and served in the American Revolutionary War as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Hunterton County militia. He was a prominent member of the First Presbyterian Church in Trenton. Early in the revolution he was a member of the Provincial Congress that held some of its sessions in Trenton. He played the host and placated the German Hessian commander Johann Rall before the Battle of Trenton. Suspected of duplicity for his accommodation to the Hessians, Hunt was charged with treason, but was acquitted and went on to serve in the cause for American independence. After the war, Hunt became involved in the politics and business interests of Trenton and New Jersey overall.