Charles Dickens’ literary masterpiece, A Tale of Two Cities, opens with these memorable words, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…” Just as there is a tale of two cities, perhaps there is a tale of two Christmases.
Between the spring of hope and the winter of despair often lies a season of uncertainty. Our tale of two Christmases took place during such winters of despair, but hope was fueled by undaunted courage, determination, and a sense of purpose so strong that failure was not an option.
It had been less than six months since the Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain. For nearly a year the British Army had laid siege on Boston, finally evacuating the city in mid-March 1776 before turning its sights on New York City. The Continental Army under the leadership of George Washington was no match for the 32,000-man British invasion force and by late November was forced to retreat across the Delaware River into New Jersey,
In control of New York and New Jersey, the British were in position to attack Philadelphia. Fortunately for Washington, General William Howe, Commander-in-Chief of British forces, ordered his men to shelter for the winter. Meanwhile, Washington planned an offensive – to cross the Delaware once again and attack the British outpost at Trenton.
“Christmas day at night, one hour before day is the time fixed for our attack on Trenton,” Washington wrote to General Joseph Reed. The password was “Victory or Death.” Ferrying thousands of men, artillery, horses and stores across the river was challenging under any conditions, yet they had done it weeks earlier, albeit in retreat. But during a blinding snowstorm, with temperatures well below freezing and large chunks of ice flowing freely in the icy river, such an endeavor was almost impossible. Doing so undetected by the enemy, short on food, supplies and clothing and drilling a sick, wounded, demoralized army only made the situation more perilous.
“It will be a terrible night for the soldiers who have no shoes. Some of them have tied old rags around their feet; others are barefoot, but I have not heard a man complain. They are ready to suffer any hardship and die rather than give up their liberty,’ wrote one General. “I have never seen Washington so determined as he is now.” Yet, Washington knew if his plan failed, “the game will be pretty near up.”
The “game” depended heavily on Colonel John Glover and his Marblehead Regiment. Comprised largely of men from the fishing village of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and surrounding villages, one-third were African- and Native-Americans. Like their white fellow fishermen, they had suffered greatly when the British closed the Great Banks off Newfoundland to fishermen, reducing many to poverty. Buoyed by the tough discipline required of seafarers, they had the knowledge and nautical skills needed for Washington’s bold plan. In August, they had rowed 9,600 men across the East River in retreat; this night they would ferry 2,400 men, 18 cannon, horses and supplies across the Delaware. This, the first integrated regiment of the Continental Army
Washington and his men crossed over, marched ten miles to Trenton, and launched a successful surprise attack on the Hessians garrisoned at Trenton. The tide of war turned that night.
Another crossing took place nearly eighty years later, but in a climate drastically different than the frozen fields and rivers of the north. Christmastime in North Carolina tends to be mild with precipitation levels from moderate to heavy. But in the days before slavery was abolished it was the best time of the year for slaves to escape. Many were given extra days off from work and passes to visit relatives on other plantations, one of the few opportunities to travel on the roads alone. But Christmas Eve, 1854, would be different for 32-year-old Harriet Tubman. Born Araminty “Minty” Ross, she had escaped from slavery in 1849 and became known as “the Moses of her people” for risking recapture, torture and even death to rescue other enslaved men and women.
Harriot had learned her brothers – Ben, Robert, and Henry – were to be sold on December 26. Forewarned through the underground railroad, the brothers pretended to use their passes to leave their plantation and visit their parents. However, Harriot had arranged for their escape. Hiding in a corn crib for hours, traveling more than one hundred miles (several having worn the shoes off their feet), Harriot, her brothers and three others crossed over to freedom in Philadelphia on December 29. Greeted by free blacks and whites at William Still’s Anti-slavery office. The tide was turning and would overwhelm the nation in less than a decade.
Two Christmases – the winter of despair turning into the spring of hope. Two intrepid leaders inspiring others for the cause for freedom. Two races – black and white – working together for a cause transcending race. This is the lesson of a “tale of two Christmases.”