''The Crossing'' is a 2000 American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and s ...

film about

George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River occurred on the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, was the first move in a surprise attack organized by George Washington against Hessian forces, whic ...

and the

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton the previous night, ...

. Directed by

Robert Harmon Robert Harmon (born 1953) is an American film and television director. He is best known for the 1986 horror film '' The Hitcher'', starring Rutger Hauer, as well as for films like '' They'' and '' Nowhere to Run''. His television work is dist ...

and adapted by Howard Fast from his novel of the same name, the film stars

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

. Also appearing are

Roger Rees Roger Rees (5 May 1944 – 10 July 2015) was a Welsh actor and director, widely known for his stage work. He won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his performance as the lead in ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby''. He also re ...

as Hugh Mercer,

Sebastian Roché Sebastian Roché (born 4 August 1964) is a French-American actor. He is known for his roles as Kurt Mendel in ''Odyssey 5'', Jerry Jacks in ''General Hospital'', Thomas Jerome Newton in ''Fringe'', Balthazar in ''Supernatural'', Mikael in both ...

as John Glover, and Steven McCarthy as

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charle ...

. The film premiered on A&E on January 10, 2000.

Plot

After repeated defeats during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

's campaign of 1776, the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

retreats across

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

. In the past six months, they have lost

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and been chased through New Jersey by the British, and 90 percent of their troops have either been killed, taken prisoner, or deserted. After the army narrowly escapes across the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, before ...

to the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

shore, it is in possession of the only boats of any use on that stretch of the Delaware, obtaining it a reprieve from further pursuit until the river freezes, which will allow the British to cross from New Jersey and capture

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. General Hugh Mercer reminds General

, the commander of the

, that their supplies of food, medicine, ammunition and winter clothing are dangerously low. Realizing that the Revolution will collapse unless he finds a solution, Washington conceives a plan to cross back across the Delaware and conduct a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton. Washington queries Colonel John Glover, an experienced

mariner A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the ...

from

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends into the northern part of Massachusetts Bay. Attache ...

whose troops have previously effected Continental evacuations by boat, about the feasibility of the plan. Glover calls the task of moving Washington’s troops across the river in one night during freezing weather impossible, but says it must be done to save the Revolution, so his men and he will do it. Washington proposes the plan to his staff and subordinate commanders and General

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battl ...

picks it apart, then suggests that Washington relinquish his command. Washington orders Gates to be silent and tells

to escort Gates out of camp at gunpoint. After Gates has left, the group laughs, but Washington and Glover silence them by reiterating the seriousness of the situation and the risks associated with the battle plan. On

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

night, the Hessians will be feasting and drinking, so early on the following morning the Continentals will attack while the Hessians are tired and sluggish. The officers have only a few days to prepare their troops and weapons, and to maintain the element of surprise the soldiers are told no more than necessary. Despite low morale, fatigue and bad winter weather, Washington lifts his soldiers' spirits and Glover supervises the crossing from the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware to the New Jersey side on the night of December 25–26, 1776. The crossing is completed on the morning of December 26, though it is behind schedule and the sun has risen, increasing the risk that the operation will be discovered. Washington's troops march to Trenton and attack at eight o'clock. They achieve a stunning victory over the surprised Hessians and capture almost the entire garrison.

Main cast

as Gen.

as Gen. Hugh Mercer *

as Col. John Glover * Steven McCarthy as

* John Henry Canavan as Gen.

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following th ...

* Ned Vukovic as

William Alexander, Lord Stirling William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (1726 – 15 January 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He was considered male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirling through Scottish lin ...

* David Ferry as Gen.

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

Nigel Bennett Nigel Bennett (born 19 November 1949) is a British-Canadian actor, director, and writer who has been based in Canada since 1986. He is best known for playing the vampire patriarch Lucien LaCroix in the TV series ''Forever Knight'', for which h ...

as Gen.

* Karl Pruner as Gen. John Sullivan * Duncan McLeod as Williams * Andrew Kraulis as Billy * Kelly Harms as Tommy *

Jonathan Watton Jonathan Watton is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing the role of Darcy Garland in ''Murdoch Mysteries ''Murdoch Mysteries'' is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs o ...

as Cadman *

Kris Holden-Ried Kris Holden-Ried (born August 1, 1973) is a Canadian actor. Early life and pentathlon Holden-Ried was born in Pickering, Ontario. He studied at Montreal's Concordia University School of Business. He was a champion competitor in riding and fenci ...

as Capt. Heineman *

Julian Richings Julian Richings (born 30 August 1956)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at Ancestry.com is a British-Canadian character actor. He has appeared in over 225 films and television series. Career After touring th ...

as McKenzie * James Kidnie as Col. Johann Rall

Production

Filming took place in April and May 1999, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Anachronisms and errors

''The Crossing'' contains several minor errors and historical anachronisms. Among them are that in December 1776, Gates was not removed from camp at gunpoint. In addition, at the time in which the film is set, Alexander Hamilton had not yet joined Washington's staff. During the Battle of Trenton, Hamilton commanded an artillery battery that fired from a high point near the center of town, which prevented the Hessians from organizing a defense or escaping. Details presented during the closing credits claim that none of Washington's men were killed or wounded. In fact, two Continental soldiers froze to death during the march and five were wounded during the attack, including

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

Awards

''The Crossing'' won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

for excellence in 2000.60th Annual Peabody Awards
May 2001. Cinematographer Rene Ohashi also won the 2001

ASC Award ASC may refer to: Educational institutions * Anglican Schools Commission, Australia * Andres Soriano Colleges of Bislig, located in Surigao del Sur, Philippines * Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia Organizations Australia * Australian Singing ...

for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Mini-Series/Pilot,IMDb: Awards for ''The Crossing''
Retrieved 2013-04-27 and the film's sound team was nominated for an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crossing, The 2000 films 2000 drama films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s historical drama films 2000s war drama films A&E (TV network) original films American drama television films American films based on actual events American historical drama films American Revolutionary War films American war drama films Cultural depictions of Alexander Hamilton Films about George Washington Films about presidents of the United States Films based on American novels Films directed by Robert Harmon Films scored by Gary Chang Films set in New Jersey Films set in Pennsylvania Films set in 1776 Films shot in Toronto George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River Historical television films Peabody Award-winning broadcasts Television films based on actual events Television films based on books War films based on actual events War television films