Delaware River

It was Patrick Henry that said, give me liberty or give me death.

And on that fateful night when George Washington had to cross the Delaware River in the ice and snow or the American Revolution would be lost, they said, General, what are the passwords? He said, victory or death.

Either we're successful tonight or we all die.

That's the idea of a free man.

Over at the ports, construction is officially underway on Delaware's largest-ever maritime infrastructure project.

It's a massive $669 million container terminal along the Delaware River.

The Delaware Container Terminal, sited on 137 acres of former DuPont Industrial Land in Edgemoor, began major construction in 2026 after federal dredging and seawall permits were reissued in April.

The facility is designed to handle 1.2 million 20-foot equivalent units per year.

Magazines.

The proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Society, published under the title Cassinia, contain a wealth of material interesting to the Pennsylvania student.

The Cardinal, journal of the Audubon Society of the Sewickley Valley, and a well-edited periodical, contains articles of interest chiefly to workers in western Pennsylvania.

The Auk, the Wilson Bulletin, Bird Lore, The Oologist, The Condor, Western, and Nature Magazine all are likely to contain articles of interest to Pennsylvania bird students.

Most of the smaller birds migrate at night, following streams or mountain ranges.

Swallows and hawks usually migrate by day, ducks and geese by both day and night.

The Ohio, Delaware, and Susquehanna River valleys are important routes of migration.

The shore of Lake Erie is a resting ground for birds which have flown over this large body of water.

Washington needs to do something, and he needs to do something decisive and dramatic.

And he's looking across the Delaware River at the fortification of Trenton, wondering if this is his moment.

Trenton, a key British outpost on the Delaware River, lies in Washington's path.

Desperate to revive the morale of his troops, he knows striking a decisive blow will be crucial for the survival of the Revolution.

The men at Trenton are actually having a great Christmas.

They're confident, they're fortified, they're protected by the icy, cold Delaware River.

This is a time when normally campaigning would have stopped.

And the British, in fact, don't really expect there to be campaigning.

But by December 1776, passions had cooled.

The British had driven General George Washington and his soldiers out of New York City into New Jersey, and then had chased them across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania, forcing the Second Continental Congress to flee Philadelphia.

Enthusiasm for the daring new experiment was waning.

The author of the American Crisis was Thomas Paine, whose January 1776 pamphlet Common Sense had convinced colonists to throw off not just King George III, but all kings.

Lay your shoulders to the wheel.

British Commander General William Howe had sent most of his soldiers back to New York to spend the winter, leaving garrisons in New Jersey to guard against Washington's return.

On Christmas night, having heard that the garrison at Trenton was made up of Hessian auxiliaries unprepared for an attack, Washington and 2,400 soldiers crossed back over the icy Delaware River.

They marched nine miles in a winter storm to Trenton and surprised the outnumbered Hessians, who fought only briefly before surrendering.

There was tumult in the city, in the quaint old Quaker town, and the streets were rife with people, pacing restless up and down.

people gathering at corners where they whispered each to each and the sweat stood on their temples with the earnestness of speech will they do it dare they do it who is speaking what's the news what of adams what of sherman o god grant they won't refuse make some way there let me nearer i am stifling stifle then when a nation's life at hazard we've no time to think of men so they beat against the portal man and woman maid and child and the july sun in heaven on the scene looked down and smiled the same sun that saw the spartan shed his patriot blood in vain now beheld the soul of freedom all unconquered rise again see see the dense crowd quivers through all its lengthy line as the boy beside the portal looks forth to give the sign with his small hands upward lifted breezes dallying with his hair hark with deep clear intonation breaks his young voice on the air hushed the people's swelling murmur list the boy's exultant cry ring he shouts ring grandpa ring oh ring for liberty and straightway at the signal the old bellman lifts his hand and sends the good news making iron music through the land how they shouted what rejoicing How the old bell shook the air, Till the clang of freedom ruffled The calm, gliding Delaware, How the bonfires and the torches Illumed the night's repose, And from the flames that fabled Phoenix Our glorious liberty arose.

That old bell now is silent, And hushed its iron tongue, But the spirit is awakened, Still lives forever young, And when we greet the smiling sunlight On the fourth of each July, We'll never forget the bellman, who, betwixt the earth and sky, rang out our independence, which, please God, shall never die.

American History Stories, Volume 2, by Mara L. Pratt.

There were only about three thousand men with him, and these were suffering from cold and hunger.

Washington felt that a bold stroke must be made, and that too very soon.

He knew that there were encamped just across the Delaware a body of Hessian troops, who had been hired and sent over here by the English government to fight against the colonists.

Washington knew the ways of these Hessians, and he was quite sure that they would spend Christmas Day in a great celebration, and very likely would be off guard in the evening.

That ringing happened after a moment of silence at 846 this morning, marking the moment that North Tower was hit.

The Camden Fire Department conducted a water salute from the Delaware River, and those who attended placed flowers on a steel plate from the World Trade Center site.

They also lined RCA Pier Park with 2,997 American flags, one for each life lost.

Today's tribute marks the sixth year of this event held by the city of Camden and American Water.

We encourage volunteering.

TonyTJI72 without doing some stuff in the Finger Lakes Trail and also checking out the Delaware area, the Delaware River area.

So cool to see.

Tony has amazing pictures, always does.