A Revolutionary War Christmas Story

by Michael A. Davis

CHRISTMAS NIGHT — 1776

Trenton merchant and newly avowed British Loyalist Abraham Hunt is hosting a Christmas party for the occupying Hessian enemy. George Washington is closing in for his attack on Trenton.

An ominous knock on Abraham Hunt’s door by a British sympathizer interrupts the festivities. One false move by this apparent traitor, and the American Revolution will die on his doorstep.

The Evidence

Was Abraham Hunt really guilty of treason?

“You must be well convinced that it is indispensably necessary to bear the suspicion of being thought inimical; and it is not in their power to assert their innocence, because that would get abroad and destroy the confidence which the enemy puts in them.”

— George Washington

Did Providence, as believed by General George Washington and Colonel Henry Knox, play a role in the victory?

This too, is part of the story.

About Michael A. Davis

Michael A. Davis, a retired criminal defense attorney, was originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a place steeped in American history. Mr. Davis lived several miles up the road, so to speak, from where George Washington embarked for his famous Christmas crossing of the Delaware River.

When Mr. Davis moved to Denver, Colorado, he took with him his love for the history of the American Revolution that was so embedded in that area. The story of the 1776 Christmas Day Crossing of the Delaware River by Washington, and the victory of the Battle of Trenton, which is so often told and reenacted, would not be left behind. Nor would the story of Abraham Hunt’s long-suspected treason. It fell into the hands of Mr. Davis in 1994.

Could Mr. Hunt’s apparent act of treason be defended? Mr. Davis, with the help of snoopy reporter, Priscilla Tripstreet from the Pennsylvania Gazette, and Charles, Mr. Hunt’s wily servant, decided to give it a try.

I’ve saved you a seat on the jury.

Treason: The Trial of Abraham Hunt

Click here to buy

© 2025 Michael Davis