The mighty British Army under the command of General Charles Cornwallis had pursued George Washington’s little rag-tag American forces clear across the State of New Jersey and, as far as he was concerned, had the pesky little war of independence all but wrapped up. In fear of the advancing enemy, Philadelphia, the American seat of government at the time, had been abandoned by its leaders and most of its citizens who were sympathetic to the cause of the American colonies. On December 1, 1776, ...