The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776

Artist: John Trumbull (American, 1756–1843)

1786–1828

American Paintings and Sculpture


I composed the picture, for the express purpose of giving a lesson to all living and future soldiers in the service of their country, to show mercy and kindness to a fallen enemy—their enemy no longer when wounded and in their power. —John Trumbull


On the night of December 25, 1776, General George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River at Trenton, New Jersey, launching a surprise attack against the Hessians, German mercenaries hired to fight on behalf of the British Empire. The Germans, caught off-guard on the morning after Christmas celebrations, were defeated after only forty-five minutes. Hessian Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall was mortally wounded. On horseback, General Washington directs Major William Stephens Smith to care for the dying Rall. Anxious to secure Washington’s likeness for this scene as well as for his paintings of the battles of Princeton, New Jersey, and Yorktown, Virginia, Trumbull persuaded him to pose for several sittings, with the general even exercising on horseback at the artist’s request.

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

20 1/8 × 30 in. (51.1 × 76.2 cm)

Credit Line

Trumbull Collection

Accession Number

1832.5

Culture
Period

18th–19th century

Classification
Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance

Provenance

Trumbull Collection, to 1832; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • John Ferling, The Ascent of George Washington:The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon (New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009), unpag., ill.
  • Helen A. Cooper et al., Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2008), 26, 88–89, 98, no. 34, ill.
  • Army History: The Professional Bulletin of Army History No. 62 (Winter 2006), Cover and page 4, no. No. 62, ill.
  • Christie's New York, New York, George Washington at Princeton: From the Collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, sale cat. (2006), 12, ill.
  • David McCullough, 1776 (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005), 212-213, Front cover, ill.
  • Helen A. Cooper et al., John Trumbull: The Hand and Spirit of a Painter (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1982), 74, pl. 24
  • Dennis P. Ryan, New Jersey in the American Revolution (Trenton, N.J.: New Jersey Historical Commission, 1975), 72, fig. plate 5
Object copyright
Additional information

Object/Work type

histories (visual works), military history, portraits

Technical metadata and APIs

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