This painting describes the historic moment when General George Washington  led the American revolutionary troops across the Delaware River in order to  surprise the English and Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton the day after  Christmas in 1776. Keep in mind that this reproduction is small: the original  painting is more than 12 feet high and 21 feet long! Click on the image to see a  larger reproduction. The artist Emanuel Leutze used a number of elements to  express an emotional and patriotic message about this event.