Driving snow and sleet cut through the cold night air on Dec. 25, 1776, slashing Gen. George Washington and his bedraggled troops as they silently crossed the Delaware River. New England watermen from Col. John Glover’s Marblehead regiment expertly navigated the treacherous river, easily identifiable in their short blue seaman’s jackets, tarred pants, and woolen caps. This was the third time Grover had come to Washington’s rescue.
Though Washington had other pressing matters on his mind that night, he undoubtedly could recall the first time Glover had helped him. Over a year prior, the apprentice shoemaker-turned-ship owner had offered his fishing schooner for service as the Continental Army’s first authorized warship.
