By, Nan Claire Falkner His Excellency’s boat was dry docked for the winter. Each year several men heaved the Durham boat on shore to protect the integrity of the hull. Barnacles damaged the flat bottom boat and each spring proper repairs had been made to allow it to once again float. On the night of the crossing of General Washington, the boat was lifted and set quietly into the water. As the soldiers boarded they put the oars in the Delaware River and thus made it possible for the Continental Army to win at Trenton helping the Revolutionary War at a crucial time. 
Figure 1: George Washington Crossing the Delaware
Figure 2: original Continental Flag
Emanuel Leutze, 1851 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City Elisha Bostwick was a soldier in the Continental Army. In his memoirs he wrote that they had to pound on the bottoms of the boats to break up the ice so they would stay afloat while crossing the river. He stated that the much needed win at Trenton convinced him to re-enlist along with several of his friends.
nanclairefalkner 
Nan,
You should have been a history teacher. I just learned about Barnacles on wood boats.
Your favor student,
Mike
Yea Right Mike, You know all about Barnacles, Bill! Thanks, Me
This is lovely! A pretty peek into history 😊
Dear Shailaja, Thank you so much for reading my story – Have a good week! Nan 🙂
Great bit of history, Nan. I learned something else I didn’t know. I can only imagine how cold it must have been if ice was forming on the boat as they traveled. That was truly a matter of life or death. Well done.:) — Suzanne
Dear Suzanne, The river was full of ice too, so it’s amazing that they could even cross on Christmas night. Thank God they did! Nan 🙂
Nice use of the prompt, Nan. Did you watch the PBS documentary “The Revolution” a couple years back? It was fascinating. Can’t wait for the “Sons of Liberty” which starts Sunday night on the History Channel.
Dear Russell, I probably did, we watch everything – just about – on the History Channel and I saw that boat and thought it looked sort of like the boat Washington crossed in which were called Durham boats. Have a good week! Nan
It’s inspiring to think just how daunting that crossing must have been! Nice story for this prompt, Nan.
Dear Dawn, Thank you so much for reading my story. I love history and even took it at a community college again when I was 50. It was so easy because I had lived a lot of it myself. Enjoy your week! Nan 🙂
Interesting
Yikes, the picture you included makes me wonder how they ever made it across! Nice slice of history, Nan. I , too, love history. Right now my husband and I are taking a class about WW I. Also took a class on Colonial History in the fall and am looking forward to another about pre-white history of the Native Americans. Can’t get enough, I guess. Anyway enough about me. Your wrote a wonderful story in 100 words.
Dear Alicia, Thank you so much for your kind comments! We watch History and History 2 channel all the time. The Revolutionary War is my favorite to read about, and the Civil War is second (I’m from Arkansas and my ancestors must have been idiots – so sorry). Nan
Dear Nan,
Nice bit of history. Or perhaps I should say ‘chilling’ bit of history. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Dear Rochelle, Thanks for reading my story and your comments! Nan 🙂
darn, who would have thought? nice take on the prompt.
Dear Plaridel, Thank you for reading and commenting. Have a wonderful week! Nan 🙂
I do love these short history lessons.
Dear Dawn, Thank you so much for your comment! I love history but when in college when I was 18, I didn’t appreciate it as much – the guy sitting in front of my in class had Lice (I’m not kidding at all) in his hair and I spent the whole time looking at my desk. It was really creepy and the teacher didn’t care. I think she said “Adjust.”
Nicely researched piece – I love a bit of history with my fiction and you executed this well.
Dear Sandra, Thank you so much for your comment. I love history – after all, we’re all going to be history soon enough. Have a good week! Nan 🙂
Hi Nan, it’s the little personal things that makes history so interesting. Not just facts. Real people lived it.
Thanks for this history lesson.
Phyllis
Dear Phyllis, Thank you so much! Real people are life and time makes it history. How amazing is this life experience? We’re given a blank slate to do as we please and become who we want (well the lucky ones are). Have a good week! Nan 🙂
So true. May your slate be filled with excitement.
This is an interesting look at the crucial events of that river crossing, Nan. I love the way you brought the image of the boat to life with reference to the encrusting barnacles – and the way the men so quietly lifted the boat into the water and boarded her. That adds to the suspense of their actions. An enjoyable read.
A wonderful glimpse into the past, thanks for sharing that snippet of history!
You give the old legends a nice, realistic spin.
Dear Alice, Thank you so much and history is so interesting – the History Channel and my classes in college have been so important to me and I love it! Have a good week! Nan 🙂
Nan, a most excellent story! You shined a light on an interesting bit of history. That must have been one tough and cold boat ride. I shiver thinking about chipping ice at the bottom of a boat. Well done and well researched.
Dear Amy, Thank you for your comments! The soldiers stomped on the bottom of the boat with their feet and the ice broke off the boat. General Washington needed this battle of Trenton to succeed or he was going to lose most of his soldiers due to the fact that they had only signed up for one year (which was almost over). This happened late on Christmas night.
Dear Nan,
The stories I heard about that winter endured by Washington and his men have haunted me since I first began hearing them in early grade school. It never dawned on me that boats would typically not have even been set into the water during this time of year. Interesting stuff.
Cheers!
MG
Dear Marie Gail, Thank you for your comments. I know we took our boat out of the marina and water each fall and dry docked it so it wouldn’t freeze in the lake. Just like turning your canoe upside down when you are done. I just watched another American History Channel special and it is so interesting, although I have lived a lot of it. Thanks, Nan
Wow. So that was George Washington’s boat!
I guess it must have been because he could not tell a lie…
😉
Randy
Dear Randy, Not necessarily – he had his men finding boats for his soldiers to cross the Delaware River, He needed a army victory really bad and this was sort of a last ditch effort for a victory! Thanks for reading my story – however, I guess it’s really not fiction. There is a plethora of information on the internet.
Thanks for the info. I just read a review of a new book on Washington and the war that just came out.. Randy
The boat’s not identical but the story and history are informative. So much I didn’t know.
Credit to Georgia Koch for the photo prompt; her initials are present, but her name is missing.
Lovely piece of history (terrible war!).
(You can lose the second apostrophe in ‘His Excellency’s’ boat’.)
Dear Patrick – I have brain trouble – thanks for the apostrophe note! Nan
The fact that you can win a war by crossing a river in a timely and unexpected manner is classic, I had not heard about this case, but I can see this must have been a crucial pivot point.
Dear Bjorn, Thanks for reading! Yes, the soldiers had to be very quiet so as not to alert the British. Have a good week! Nan 🙂
Dear Nan – I think it’s great to have the ‘back story’ as it were, your history lesson is very much appreciated. Well done.
Dee
Dear Dee, Thank you so very much – I do love history – but then I’ve lived a heck of a lot of it. Nan 🙂
What an interesting tidbit of history, Nan. I think it happened just the way you described it.
Dear Subroto, Thank you for reading and commenting. According to the American History books – this did happen. The painting of George Washington has several inaccuracies including the wrong flag which wasn’t adopted until a later date. Nan
Well done, Nan. This has a great documentary feel to it. Your research and the historical detail mix with the human story to give us a really full tale this week.
Thank you Sarah Ann, I love the Revolutionary War history and the Civil War too. Although, I’m from Arkansas (which was one of the states that joined the Confederacy). I hope none of my relatives were on the wrong side of slavery – a horrible embarrassment to our country. Nan 🙂
Not only an interesting story, but an interesting historical backstory. Thank you for both and for making me think this morning!
Very interesting!
I just thought of something. I bet Washington didn’t need an army of secret service to protect him. 🙂
Oh Nan! Look how many soldiers are in that tiny boat! Scary…
I love history. This was so interesting.
Ellespeth
Dear Ellespeth, OSHA would never allow this in today’s ARMY. Thanks for reading! Nan 🙂
Nan, Good story with visual photos . Enjoyed reading it. Thanks, Ann
Dear Ann Melinda, Thank you for reading my story – now, go win at Tennis! Thanks! Your sis!