(Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)PennsylvaniaCrossing of Delaware reenactment canceledDespite the best efforts of some Philadelphia schoolchildren, Mother Nature blew in and scuttled the annual reenactment of George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War. Organizers said high winds forced them to cancel Monday’s planned crossing, the highlight of a historical reenactment that draws thousands of people to the banks of the river in Washington Crossing, Pa., and Titusville, N.J.“We were advised by the [marine patrol] out in the boats that they didn’t think it was safe to cross,” said Andy Smith, spokesman for Friends of Washington Crossing Park. The National Weather Service said winds had been gusting to 45 or 50 mph or even more in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Boats ferried 2,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 18 cannons across the river during the original crossing in 1776. Washington’s troops marched eight miles downriver before battling Hessian mercenaries in the streets of Trenton.

Source: Washington Post December 25, 2017 22:47 UTC