When I first saw The Crossing, over 20 years ago, I loved it -- but at that time, I did not know much about the details of the battle. Since then, I've read all the major books on the battle, and now the many inaccuracies in The Crossing jump out.
The trouble starts right at the beginning of the film. The opening scenes have Washington on the bank of the Delaware River, demanding that Colonel Glover hurry up and find him some boats to carry the army to the other side. It's as if Washington didn't even realize until that moment that he was marching toward a river he would have to cross. In reality, Washington was not that stupid or careless. No later than December 1, when his army was passing through New Brunswick, did Washington order his men to collect all the boats on the upper Delaware so that the Americans would be able to cross when they got there and then keep the British from following. Likewise, contrary to what the movie shows, the British did not chase the Americans right up to the river bank and shoot them as they scrambled into boats. The British actually pursued Washington's army across New Jersey at a somewhat leisurely pace.
Another major error is that the movie perpetuates the myth that Washington caught the Hessians completely off guard. In fact, the Hessians had regular patrols of the perimeter and pickets that formed the initial resistance to the attacking Americans. The pickets engaged in a shooting retreat toward Trenton itself, giving the garrison a little advance notice (thus performing as intended).
Another problem is that the film has the crossing, the march to Trenton, and the attack taking place in clear, dry weather. (In some shots, the setting looks more like October than December.) The situation was really much more challenging -- a fierce storm of rain and sleet started in the middle of the crossing and continued through the attack. These conditions slowed Washington's approach and harmed his men more than anything the Hessians did.
I realize that recreating the weather was probably beyond the filmmakers' budget. The same is true for another aspect that bothers me -- the forces depicted are simply too small. Washington attacked with over 2,000 men, while the Hessian force numbered about 1,500. But the film makes the battle seem like a skirmish between a hundred or two on each side. Similarly, the film's action really focuses on bayoneting and clubbing, whereas the Americans mainly won this time through shooting.
These aren't the only mistakes. As others have pointed out, while Alexander Hamilton was indeed present at the battle, he did not become Washington's aide until much later. Also, despite the dialogue, Washington had been in Trenton before, just a few weeks earlier, in fact. And it bothers me that the film has Nathanael Greene saying that the Americans were just fighting to avoid paying taxes. It's clear from contemporary writings that the leaders of the Revolution were fighting for self-government -- to control their own destiny without oversight from London.
Notwithstanding all my gripes, The Crossing is a well-made film. The score is moving, the production values are quite good considering the budget, and the acting is great. Jeff Daniels is physically very convincing as Washington. And while the depiction of the battle itself was disappointing, there are still some excellent scenes in the film. My favorite is the dinner at Friend Barclay's home, where Washington and his officers are hosted by a local Whig. The scene is beautifully done, even though it boils down into a face-to-face shouting match a rivalry that came to a head only in the future and was always conducted through proxies.
As movies about the Revolution go, The Crossing is a good bit better than average, but still not nearly as good as it could have been.
The trouble starts right at the beginning of the film. The opening scenes have Washington on the bank of the Delaware River, demanding that Colonel Glover hurry up and find him some boats to carry the army to the other side. It's as if Washington didn't even realize until that moment that he was marching toward a river he would have to cross. In reality, Washington was not that stupid or careless. No later than December 1, when his army was passing through New Brunswick, did Washington order his men to collect all the boats on the upper Delaware so that the Americans would be able to cross when they got there and then keep the British from following. Likewise, contrary to what the movie shows, the British did not chase the Americans right up to the river bank and shoot them as they scrambled into boats. The British actually pursued Washington's army across New Jersey at a somewhat leisurely pace.
Another major error is that the movie perpetuates the myth that Washington caught the Hessians completely off guard. In fact, the Hessians had regular patrols of the perimeter and pickets that formed the initial resistance to the attacking Americans. The pickets engaged in a shooting retreat toward Trenton itself, giving the garrison a little advance notice (thus performing as intended).
Another problem is that the film has the crossing, the march to Trenton, and the attack taking place in clear, dry weather. (In some shots, the setting looks more like October than December.) The situation was really much more challenging -- a fierce storm of rain and sleet started in the middle of the crossing and continued through the attack. These conditions slowed Washington's approach and harmed his men more than anything the Hessians did.
I realize that recreating the weather was probably beyond the filmmakers' budget. The same is true for another aspect that bothers me -- the forces depicted are simply too small. Washington attacked with over 2,000 men, while the Hessian force numbered about 1,500. But the film makes the battle seem like a skirmish between a hundred or two on each side. Similarly, the film's action really focuses on bayoneting and clubbing, whereas the Americans mainly won this time through shooting.
These aren't the only mistakes. As others have pointed out, while Alexander Hamilton was indeed present at the battle, he did not become Washington's aide until much later. Also, despite the dialogue, Washington had been in Trenton before, just a few weeks earlier, in fact. And it bothers me that the film has Nathanael Greene saying that the Americans were just fighting to avoid paying taxes. It's clear from contemporary writings that the leaders of the Revolution were fighting for self-government -- to control their own destiny without oversight from London.
Notwithstanding all my gripes, The Crossing is a well-made film. The score is moving, the production values are quite good considering the budget, and the acting is great. Jeff Daniels is physically very convincing as Washington. And while the depiction of the battle itself was disappointing, there are still some excellent scenes in the film. My favorite is the dinner at Friend Barclay's home, where Washington and his officers are hosted by a local Whig. The scene is beautifully done, even though it boils down into a face-to-face shouting match a rivalry that came to a head only in the future and was always conducted through proxies.
As movies about the Revolution go, The Crossing is a good bit better than average, but still not nearly as good as it could have been.