To Save the Revolution!

As Romano and I bowed before a grateful King and left the palace grounds, I wondered where we would be transported to for our next great adventure through history and time.

Once we reached an open meadow, I stopped for Romano to graze. I reached into the saddle bag for The Little Black Book. As I opened it, the pages magically filled with details for our next quest.

The mysterious and magical book has been handed down in my family for generations. Nobody now can remember the origins of The Little Black Book but my family has been entrusted with faithfully carrying out the undertakings, as directed in the book, for hundreds of years.

But this time….this time is different. As I opened the book, $20,000 fell out.

It’s New Years Eve, 1776 and we have been transported to Philadelphia in America. There are great celebrations because George Washington had just crossed the Delaware a few days before and defeated the British at Trenton. We never take payment for our assigned tasks – why were we being given such a large sum of money? As I read the assignment, my heart pounded with fear. Romano nuzzled me as if to reassure me that we have never failed before. The assignment was from a man in Philadelphia named Robert Morris. If we failed, the American Revolution would fail.

After the defeat at Trenton, the British wanted revenge. Cornwallis had been sent to New Jersey with 8,000 troops. Washington promised his troops a special bounty of ten dollars each if they agreed to reenlist for six weeks more in order to defeat Cornwallis. But there was a problem - he did not have that sum of money. To make matters worse, the term of enlistment of most of his army would expire on January 1st; Washington would be left with only 1,000 soldiers. On December 31, 1776, Washington dispatched a courier on horseback with an urgent letter to Robert Morris. Washington confided in Mr. Morris that, not only did he need money to pay his troops, but he also needed money for shoes, clothes, blankets and food. Mr. Morris raised the funds but, now he needed to get the funds to Washington and that task fell upon me and Romano.

I saddled Romano; we needed to reach Washington quickly. As his mane blew into my face my breathing fell into rhythm with his. We stayed off the roads and worked our way through the cover of woodlands in order to remain undetected by the Red Coats. If we were captured carrying the money, the Revolution would be lost. My destination was Washington’s headquarters on the banks of Assunpink Creek. We needed to cross the creek to reach Washington. But this proved to be a very difficult task. The brilliance of General Washington was at work. The second battle of Trenton was about to begin. There were only four crossings and Washington had blocked them all. A battle was raging at each crossing. Directly across from the town of Trenton is the Assunpink Creek bridge. Washington stationed his artillery here. Philip’s Mill ford is upstream of the bridge and Washington concentrated his infantry at this crossing. Another ford is further upstream and Washington only has a small force to defending it but that’s because the speed of the water here made it impassable. The last crossing point is downstream of the bridge but far away. So here I am – trapped - by the very army I have been sent to offer aid - trapped on the same side as the British! I decided to take cover and wait out the fighting. Under the cover of nightfall, I may be able to cross Assunpink Creek.

By the time the sun set, both armies were resting in preparation to resume the fighting the next day. Cornwallis had moved his troops upstream for a morning attack. With his troops moved away from the other crossings, I would be able to cross with little worry of capture. I saw the campfires in Washington’s camp and crossed the Creek. As I crossed the Creek astride Romano, I finally felt relief that soon, I would be able to accomplish my mission. Romano seemed relaxed too even though cold water covered his hocks. A hair’s breath away from the camp and suddenly my heart stopped – the camp was deserted!

Where had Washington and his troops gone? He could not possibly have decided to retreat; the victory of the day had been his. How would I track them in the dark? It was now time for me to trust Romano. Horses are herd animals and can pick up the heartbeat of other horses even at a distance; Romano would be able to find Washington’s horses and army. I put my trust in him and let the reins droop on his neck. We rode in the dark heading northeast. I knew then that Washington was marching to New Jersey in hopes of eliminating Cornwallis’ supply lines back to New York City.

As dawn broke, I heard cannons in the distance. I knew I was finally close to Washington’s troops and Cornwallis was ten miles away. It was now safe for me to no longer ride under cover and, with all haste, head towards the noise of cannon fire. The Battle of Princeton was about to begin and I feared that again, I would not be able to reach General Washington so I stayed under cover in the woods nearby. I could not risk being captured! The Battle at Princeton turned out to be an easy victory for Washington’s troops. On January 5th, he marched his troops to Morristown for winter encampment. There I finally met the great General and presented him with the funds from Robert Morris. Now the troops would be paid for fulling their promise of defeating Cornwallis. It has been said that the Battles of Trenton and Princeton had lasting effects on the history of the world and along with Romano, I played a part in those victories. As Romano and I bowed before a grateful George Washington, I wondered where we would be transported to for our next great adventure through history and time.