General George Washington had just defeated the Hessians in Trenton on December 26, 1776. He and the rest of the colonial army were staying in Trenton. But General Washington's troubles were far from over.
Most of General Washington's troops were going to leave soon. Their enlistment ended on January 1, 1777. General Washington asked the men to stay and offered them $10 each, which was a lot of money then. About half of the men agreed to reenlist.
General Washington needed to win the next battle. If he lost, his troops might lose confidence and leave. Then the Revolutionary War might never succeed.
Meanwhile, the British prepared for an attack against General Washington. General Cornwallis gathered 6,000 British troops in Princeton and marched to Trenton. Lt. General Charles Mawhood commanded the remaining soldiers in Princeton.