It was the middle of the night, Christmas Day 1776, when an army of 2,400 soldiers crossed the icy Delaware River under the command of Gen. George Washington, shrouded under the cover of a blinding snow storm.

The surprise attack on the Hessians (hired German mercenaries), later known as the Battle of Trenton, marked a significant victory for the Continental army and a renewed confidence in the American Revolution.

The Christmas Day historical re-enactment of the event is now in its 63rd year, and Ronald Rinaldi, of Branchburg, hasn’t missed participating in one for the past 40 years. He was just 14 when his mother, Ann Rinaldi, a young adult fiction author best known for her historical fiction novels, approached him about volunteering at the event, conducted on the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and Titusville in Mercer County. He readily accepted.

Read the article “Crossing the Delaware is a Christmas Tradition for New Jersey Family” on app.com.