One of the most important moments in the Revolutionary War occurred on the night of Christmas day, 1776, when George Washington and his troops quietly crossed the Delaware River, and launched a surprise attack on British and Hessian troops in Trenton, NJ. It was one of the first victories for Washington’s inexperienced Continental Army, who captured over 900 enemy soldiers and marched them back across the Delaware.
In preparation for that all-important Christmas night in 1776, Washington ordered one of their heartiest and most favored meals to be ready upon their return, Pepperpot Soup with Cornbread. For this episode, Chef Staib prepared Pepperpot Soup along the banks of the Delaware River, for the assembled Continental Army solider reenactors who patiently waited for their meal to be ready. In the meantime, we learned about the famous painting by Emmanuel Leutze of Washington and his troops crossing the river, a painting that has numerous inaccuracies, but never-the-less, one that stirred the patriotic passions of a new nation.
