Sketches in History | Crossing the Delaware

As promised, the 15-Minute History Podcast team is bringing you a new segment, just for kids, called Sketches in History, where history isn’t just a story—it’s an adventure.

Be sure to look for the discussion questions at the end of this post.

Hello, and welcome to Sketches in History! I’m Lottie Archer, your guide. You see, I own something extraordinary—an old notebook. I know it doesn’t sound extraordinary, but this old notebook is special. It was passed down to me from my grandfather, a great historian and lover of all things ancient and old. In his study, a person could find pieces from ancient Egypt, shards from pots that filled the gardens of Babylon, and swords from medieval Europe and the Roman Empire. No matter where you looked, there was a piece of history.

It was in this study, surrounded by all these exciting pieces of history, that he gave me this notebook. He walked over to a painting and opening it, revealed a secret compartment that contained a safe. Do you know what a safe is? It’s like a smaller version of a treasure chest with a lock. It’s a place where grown-ups keep special, precious things. He opened this safe, and for a moment, I could see all kinds of things in there, some of which he would eventually pass to me. I could see a gold ring, some paper rolled up and tied with string, and other items that I can’t wait to tell you about. It was from this safe that he pulled the notebook, the extraordinary notebook, a notebook that you could say, contains a bit of magic.

It’s magic, he told me, because whatever page you turn to, whatever illustration is drawn on that page, comes to life. Not only that, but the person gets to experience it. They get pulled into the scene, into that moment, and can see and hear everything first-hand. Each page of this notebook is a doorway to a different moment in time. Some pages show bustling marketplaces in ancient Egypt. Others capture the roar of cannons during the American Revolution. And some—well, let’s just say they’ve shown me some very surprising things. But here’s the best part: each sketch is inspired by real history.

For my grandfather and I, they let us step into scenes in history, see the events unfold, and hear the stories behind each scene. We used special tools to help us listen, watch, and record what we saw so we could read about our experiences when we returned to the study. When I grew up and he couldn’t travel with me anymore, he gifted me the notebook so I could continue my travels through history. And guess what? Now, I’m taking you with me.

As your guide, I will teach you a new word or phrase about the scene we are going to experience. Today, that phrase is Primary Source. Do you know what a primary source is? A primary source is an original record of an event or topic, created by a person who was there when it happened. Historians rely on two kinds of clues: primary sources and secondary sources. A primary source is like a window into the past—letters, diaries, objects, and even buildings that were part of the moment. Secondary sources are books and articles written by people who study history and teach history. A primary source is always the best source for historians because it helps have a first-hand account of what happened. As we go into the past today, lets look for a primary source, together.

Now, it’s time to travel through history.

For this, our first time together, we’ve landed a page showing a sketch of a group of men in a boat, rowing across dark water. It looks cold, and the men are pushing the boat through blocks of ice, against a strong wind. Close your eyes, hold on tight, and let’s go!!

We’ve landed on the shore of what looks like a river. It’s cold and we can see our breath in the air. The river is full of blocks of ice that are moving with the flow of the water. Surrounding us is a dense fog, which seems to hold the cold in place so that it seeps into our clothes, as snow and sleet fall around us. A forest of dark trees stands behind us as a clear night sky full of stars looks from overhead.

From a distance, I can see the boats coming towards us, with the main boat from our sketch in the lead. The boat looks really full, lets see if I can count all the people in the boat. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and 11! That’s a lot of people to fit in a boat at once! From what I can tell, all the other boats look full, and some of them even have horses on the boats. Those horses don’t look very happy to be on boats crossing on icy water in the middle of the night.

Do you know what else I notice? The men in the boats are rowing as fast as they can. I can see their faces. Some are afraid. Others are determined. And others are giving orders to the men in the boats, and from what I can hear, they’re whispering words of encouragement.

Do you know what encouragement means? It means to give another person hope. You have probably experienced this in your own life. You may have had a friend who lost a big game, fell on the playground, or was just sad. When you saw this, you probably walked over and told them that it was going to be okay, that they would win the next game, the bruise from their fall would heal, or that the sadness would pass. These are examples of encouragement and chances are, someone has encouraged you too. The men in the boats are being encouraged, and based on what I can see, they need it…because something is chasing them.

Of all the boats, the one from our sketch is in front. Almost all the men in it look like all the others, fearful, determined, and encouraging…but one man is different. He stands tall in the boat, not sitting, looking toward the shoreline we are standing on. He is wrapped in a long cloak, bundled up except for his face, which looks pink and red from the cold.

Do you know what else I see? The men in his boat are constantly turning to look at him. In fact, men from all the boats are looking, some taking quick glances, and some are even keeping their eyes on him the whole time. I can see from their faces that when they do this, they seem less afraid, and when they look at him, they are encouraged.

The boats have almost reached the shoreline where we are standing, so lets go into the trees to hide and observe what happens next.

Okay, we see the lead boat has reached the shore and the man who was standing gets out first. The others are following and after a moment, the large group of boats have reached the shore, and the men begin to unpack them. The man who was standing in the boat is taller than almost all the others and appears to be giving orders to the group as they land. Let’s use piece of special equipment to listen in and hear what he is saying.

“Pull all our supplies and gear, make sure everyone has had water and whatever food they can eat in the next 5 mins. After they are ready, get them into formation. We begin our march to Trenton immediately. I will record our progress after Trenton in my request for reinforcements.”

I can see the men he was speaking to salute and move quickly to each boat, giving the orders. All the men in the boats are responding quickly! Before long the boats are empty, except for a few men who appear to stay on the shoreline. Everyone else looks like they are eating scraps of food and drinking water as fast as they can, all while getting into groups and lining up together. In very little time all the men have their bags, rifles, and equipment slung, are in formation, and begin to march. The tall man, the one who had been standing in the boat is leading them from the front. The wind picks up and the fog moves away as sleet and snow continue to fall.

Let’s open our notebook again to the sketch that brought us here so we can go back to our warm study and talk about what we just saw.

We’re back! I am so glad to be in our study, surrounded again by books, artifacts, and a warm fire that feels especially good after being out in the cold on that night. What an adventure! Let’s read what the sketchbook is writing about our scene today.

The sketch above shows a scene from George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware on Christmas night in 1776. At the time, General Washington was leading the Continental Army in a war against Great Britain for America’s independence.

On this freezing night, Washington decided to take a big risk. He led his soldiers across the icy river to escape from the British army which was chasing them and to surprise the enemy forces in the town of Trenton. General Washington later wrote in his journal about the crossing and the battle of Trenton. Other soldiers wrote about it as well, and they described how it was so cold they couldn’t feel their fingers or toes!

Washington and his army surprised the enemy and won the Battle of Trenton. This victory gave the soldiers hope and helped them keep fighting. The American Continental Army went on to defeat the British in the War of Independence and the United States was established.

The bravery Washington showed that night helped America win its independence from Britain. Years later, because of his leadership, George Washington became the very first President of the United States.

What an important scene and lesson in history! Do you remember our phrase of the day? That’s right, it is a primary source. What were some primary sources from the scene we were part of today? Think really hard. If you’re thinking of Washington’s journal and the letters from the soldiers who crossed the Delaware, you’re right! Writings from people who were there in person are called primary sources. Those writings help us understand what happened, what it was like to be there, and what happened afterward.

Wow! What an amazing first adventure together. We’ve seen bravery, felt the chill of a winter’s night, and learned about the courage it takes to make big decisions through learning history. I can’t wait to turn another page with you and discover what’s next in our extraordinary notebook.

Thank you for joining me in Sketches in History. Don’t forget to subscribe to the 15-Minute History Podcast so you’ll never miss the next adventure. And if you have a favorite moment in history you’d like to see in the notebook, send me your ideas at 15minutehistory@gmail.com. Until next time, keep wondering, keep imagining, and remember—the past is just a page away."

Discussion Questions

1. What made George Washington’s decision to cross the Delaware River so risky, and why was it important for the Continental Army?

2. How did the soldiers in the boats show courage during the crossing? Can you think of a time when you showed courage in a difficult situation?

3. Why do you think the soldiers looked to Washington for encouragement during the crossing? What does this say about his leadership?

4. What is a primary source, and how did it help historians understand what happened during the crossing? Can you think of examples of primary sources in your own life?

5. What do you think the soldiers were feeling after they successfully crossed the river and prepared to march to Trenton?