What was the Patriots' strategy at Trenton and Princeton?

On December 26, 1776 in Trenton, New Jersey a surprise attack on the Hessians happened. The strategy was to surprise the Hessians so they would have little time to react. With this, George Washington lead his troops during the night which surprised the Hessians. Patriots took hundreds of prisoners. There were 2,400 soldiers and 18 cannons. Only 10 soldiers suffered casualties. There were only 1,500 Hessians defending Trenton. The troops were in two columns, half of the soldiers attacked the Northeast and the other half attacked the North. Troops tried to prevent Hessians from escaping. About 900 Hessians were captured, 100 killed, and 500 escaped. The Patriots celebrated there victory in Princeton which boosted everyone's hopes.