There was a sharp fight.

Rahl, the commander, and some seventy men, were killed and a thousand men surrendered.
Even now Washington's position was dangerous.

Von Donop, with two thousand men, lay only a few miles down the river.

Had he marched at once on Trenton, as he should have done, the worn out little force of Washington might have met with disaster.

What Von Donop did when the alarm reached him was to retreat as fast as he could to Princeton, a dozen miles to the rear towards New York, leaving behind his sick and all his heavy equipment.