Amid the depths of Patriot gloom in December 1776, there came stirrings of revival. Ideas are not easily killed. The passions born of war often defy expectation or control. Along with those who panicked or lost heart in December were others whose determination grew greater. After the first shock of defeat came a realization that the United States could still muster men and resources for the war. The errors of the British rallied people to the Patriot cause. General Howe thought the campaign of 1776 was over. He made the mistake of thinking that his opponent would see things the same way.

Thomas Paine served in Washington's army as it fought and retreated through New York and New Jersey. Officially, Paine was an aide-de-camp to General Nathanael Greene. Unofficially, Paine acted as a war correspondent, sending reports from the front to the Philadelphia press. Paine never lost hope, even as the army suffered defeat after defeat. That others did not share his confidence was obvious. Observing the evidence of a growing demoralization around him, he decided to do something. As Paine wrote, “It was necessary that the country should be strongly animated.” He began drafting a new pamphlet while he was with the army in New Jersey. Once the army crossed into Pennsylvania, Paine traveled to Philadelphia to get his pamphlet published. He was shocked to discover that the printing houses had closed in the general panic. This galvanized Paine to swiftly finish the first installment of The American Crisis. He took ten days to find a publisher. He accepted no payment or royalties for his work and desired that his pamphlet be distributed as widely and inexpensively as possible. It first appeared on December 19.

As with Common Sense, The American Crisis crystallized the meaning of the moment for many Americans. In brilliantly crafted prose, Paine dignified the sacrifices that all knew would have to be made. He reminded ordinary people that they were capable of heroism in a time of trouble. Paine's clarion call attained the immortality of a great American state paper. The opening words of The American Crisis are still familiar: “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and sunshine Patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph.”

Paine went on to reassure his readers, all too conscious of the disarray that had taken hold among Patriots, “Panics in some cases have their uses; they produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer habit than before.” Paine's words had the impact he desired. His pamphlet was read to the troops in Washington's army, and soldiers testified to the remarkable effect that it had on morale. Paine continued writing installments of The American Crisis, bracing the resolve of Patriots for the difficult times ahead.

General Howe wanted to reconcile Americans to British rule. He urged his troops to behave correctly to civilians as they marched through and then garrisoned New Jersey. His good intentions soon ran afoul of the hard necessities of maintaining an army in an occupied land. A pattern emerged in New Jersey that would be repeated in other places throughout the war. British forage parties gathered supplies from unwilling farmers, often without payment. Efforts were made to target Patriots, and loyalists were issued papers that were supposed to give them protection. Unfortunately, German troops could not read these papers, and loyalists suffered as much as their Patriot neighbors.

The King's soldiers went far beyond the requisitioning of military necessities; they engaged in widespread looting. Officers joined with their men in sending wagonloads of booty back to New York City. Hessians looted the library of Princeton; one German soldier was even seen with a grandfather clock strapped to his horse. Occasionally soldiers went beyond thievery. Women — including the wife of the speaker of the New Jersey assembly — were raped and murdered.

The result of this lawlessness was a revival of resistance. Units of militia gathered and began cutting off British foraging parties. It became dangerous for the British to venture into the countryside, and Howe's men gradually became prisoners in their garrisons.