The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776

What it is

This oil painting by John Trumbull, begun in 1786 and completed in 1828, depicts the Battle of Trenton of December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. It hangs at the Yale University Art Gallery.

The painting centers on General George Washington attending to the mortally wounded Hessian Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall. To the left, a severely wounded Lieutenant James Monroe is shown being helped by Dr. John Riker, who saved Monroe's life by stopping his bleeding.

Why it matters

Trumbull, who had served in the war himself, intended the painting to show Washington's compassion toward a defeated enemy as a lesson for soldiers. It also preserves a record of Monroe's near-fatal wound, an episode that helped build his reputation as a Revolutionary hero long before his presidency.

Look closer

• Why might Trumbull have placed Washington's act of mercy at the very center of the composition?
• What does the painting leave out about the battle itself, such as the earlier crossing of the Delaware?
• How does showing Monroe wounded and helpless change how we see him compared to later portraits of him as president?