Emanuel Leutze’s famous 1851 painting of George Washington crossing the icy Delaware River is an image that most Americans are familiar with. But how many of us really know why Washington and his intrepid band of soldiers were in that frozen river to begin with? The Winter Patriots, Mount Vernon’s second animated feature presentation, sets out to answer that question by examining General Washington’s Revolutionary War campaign against the British and Hessian forces in New York and New Jersey. Starting during the summer of 1776, the story follows the Continental Army as it is repeatedly defeated and driven from New York, south across New Jersey towards the Delaware River. Facing one of the darkest moments of the Revolution, viewers will learn how Washington dealt with not only the enemy to his front, but also the host of issues within his own ranks. After crossing over the Delaware River on Christmas Day, Washington’s Continentals swiftly defeat three different armies at three different battlefields around Trenton and Princeton. Washington’s lightning campaign, coupled with timely guerilla actions, completely unhinged the British position, forcing their precipitous retreat back towards New York.