Major funding for Ten Crucial Days was provided by the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution and its Color Guard – instituted to perpetuate the memory of the men who, by their acts and counsel, achieved the independence of the United States of America. Additional funding was provided by J. Seward Johnson, Sr. 1963 Charitable Trust; Holly Beach Public Library Association; F. M. Kirby Foundation; and Norman B. Tomlinson, Jr.

Program Description

It is December 7, 1776, and General George Washington and his Continental Army are at the end of a long retreat. With the British in pursuit, the Continental Army gathers all available boats and escapes across the Delaware River from Trenton into Pennsylvania. The painter Charles Wilson Peal describes a scene of unimaginable misery: ‘The sick and half-naked veterans of the long retreat streamed past. I thought it the most hellish scene I have ever beheld.’ Thus begins a special half-hour program filmed in high definition that looks at the birth of democracy and ten very important days that affected the future of this country and perhaps the world. Ten Crucial Days – The Road to Liberty was produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Lou Presti and will air on NJN on Tuesday, December 25 at 8 pm; Friday, December 28 at 9:30 pm; and Sunday, December 30 at 7:30 pm. The program will also be archived online for future viewing.

This NJN special highlights the significance of the Christmas Night Crossing and the Battle of Trenton. The program covers a key ten day period during the American Revolutionary War, December 25 to January 3, 1776, often referred to as the “Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution”. The events that occurred during those days are considered by historians as a major turning point in the American Revolution.

In addition to the Christmas Night Crossing and Battle of Trenton, the lesser known Second Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton are featured as well.

Quotes from letters and diaries, read by actors on and off-screen are used with illustrations, paintings, maps, artifacts, military re-enactors, and location footage, to provide a visual background for the story. Also, interviews with nationally recognized historians, David Hackett Fischer and Thomas Fleming, are used to help provide background information, critical analysis of the events, and colorful anecdotal stories about the period.

This television presentation is a story of survival and triumph on the banks of the Delaware River. The story has been re-told in the 21st century to provide the viewer with a better understanding of the sacrifice that was made by so few for so many.

Lou Presti, Executive Producer

Lou Presti, who recently retired from NJN, spent more than thirty years at NJN recording the state’s history and culture. In 1976, Presti produced Crossroads to Victory – the tale of Washington's army from the triumph of the Declaration of Independence through a series of bloody defeats and retreats across New Jersey, and the eventual triumph that lead New Jersey and the twelve other colonies into a more perfect union. Now – more than thirty years later – he has completed a focused exploration of ten days that were the turning point of the war
Biography
Watch The Making of Ten Crucial Days, interview with Lou Presti

Promo 1 (30 sec.) – George Washington

Promo 2 (30 sec.) – Battles of Trenton and Princeton

Promo 3 (20 sec.) – George Washington and His Army

Promo 4 (60 sec.) – Thomas Paine

Credits

We wish to thank the following Institutions and Agencies:

• Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
• Century Club Association, NYC
• Howell Living History Farms, Titusville, NJ
• Mercer County Parks, Trenton, NJ
• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
• Division of Parks & Forestry, State of New Jersey
• The New Jersey Society of the Cincinnati
• Old Barracks Museum, Trenton, NJ
• Princeton Battlefield State Park, NJ
• Trent House Association, Trenton, NJ
• Valley Forge National Historic Park, PA
• Washington’s Crossing Historic Park, PA
• Washington Crossing State Park, NJ - David Donnelly, Superintendent
• Waterloo Village, Stanhope, NJ

Historical Advisory Committee

• Nancy Ceperley, Washington Crossing State Park, NJ
• Clay Craighead, Washington Crossing State Park, NJ
• Elizabeth Dowd, Central Region office, NJ State Park Service
• John Mills, Princeton Battlefield State Park, NJ
• Mark Sirak, Washington Crossing State Park, NJ
• Beverly Weaver, Office of Historic Sites, NJ State Park Service

Production Staff:

Narrator		Barrett Clark
Original Music		Robert Sands
Audio Mix		MVP Brian Tobianski
Colorist		Postworks Ira Schweitzer
Avid Editor, NJN		Robert Herman Tim Hufnell
Graphics, NJN		Fred Ehmann Ed Yungmann
Location Audio, NJN		Scott Neall
Photography, NJN		Steve Arnesen Mike Budd Paul Horvath Aubrey J. Kauffman Scott Neall Jeff Reisly John Wynne
Production Advisor, NJN		Robert Szuter
Screen Writer		Paul Budline
Offline Editor, NJN		Jeff Reisly
Web Site, NJN		Juan Carlos Rojas Young Soo Yang
Executive Producer, NJN		Lou Presti
Executive in Charge of Production, NJN		Janice Selinger
Executive Director, NJN		Elizabeth G. Christopherson