Almost 30,000 Germans fought against the Americans as mercenary units, taking part in every major campaign north of the Floridas. Many other individuals were recruited in British regiments. Perhaps one of the reasons why they incorrectly were known as "Hessians" is the fact that their three successive Commander in Chief's were Hessian: von Heister, von Knyphausen, and von Lossberg. Riedesel, who led the German contingent in Burgoyne's Offensive, started his career as a Hessian officer but came to America as head of the Brunswick contingent.
The German mercenaries won no laurels in America. Well disciplined and drilled in the tradition of Frederick the Great (who laughed at admirers who thought his Potsdam parade ground exhibitions showed his formula for strategic success), they at first were respected by the British and feared by the Americans. Toward the end of the Philadelphia Campaign Howe's civilian secretary, Ambrose Serle, commented that the "Hessians are more infamous and cruel than any. It is a misfortune we ever had such a dirty, cowardly set of contemptible miscreants." This is exaggerated and supercilious, but the Germans were noted in their early campaigns for unwonted cruelty. They became a subject of ridicule and "after the first few years, judging by diaries, the Hessians [sic] were not hated as bitterly as the loyalists and redcoats." (Montross, Rag, Tag, 458)
"Only about 60% of the German mercenaries ever returned to their homeland. Of the 29,867 who reached these shores, some 5,000 deserted and 7,754 found a grave in America, including deaths from disease as well as battle. (Lowell, Hessians, 300) A large proportion of the 17,313 survivors had been wounded or captured without the consolation of winning a single fight in which Hessians exclusively were pitted against Americans. Far from learning any tactical lessons in the New World, the mercenaries departed with an unshaken faith in the outworn methods of Frederick the Great." (Ibid.)
The most famous German defeats were at Trenton and Bennington. Another operation that was primarily German was the Springfield, New Jersey raid of Knyphausen, and this too was a failure.
As for the morality of Britain's hiring mercenaries (which stemmed from their failure in recruiting), the Whig opposition in England and the propagandists in America were certainly justified in raising a roar of righteous indignation. if a mercenary is defined as one who fights for money and not for love of country, however, the charge could be made that without larges bonuses and promises of veteran's benefits Washington would never have reached his peak of strength of 10,000 soldiers in a country that had an estimated 60,000 white patriots. There was nothing new in the hiring of mercenaries in Europe, and it was proposed in America by Charles Carroll. German mercenaries had fought in England. (Channing, III, 215)
The Duke of Brunswick was the first German prince to conclude a treaty to supply troops. The British were to provide the mercenaries the same pay, food, hospital care, and medical evacuation to Europe as they provided their own troops (which was not much). The Duke would receive £7 4s 4½d. (Channing, III, 214. According to Tharp this amounted to 30 thalers or about $22.50. Baroness, 13) For each man wounded the Duke would get one half of this last amount, and for each one maimed he collected one third. He had to replace at his own expense all who died of sickness or deserted. The British paid, in addition an annual subsidy of £11,517 17s 1½d starting January 9th of 1776, when the treaty was signed, and would pay twice that amount each year for the next two years after the mercenaries returned to Europe. "This sounds like a stiff bargain," writes Tharp, "but the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel got more than twice as much per man. Hesse-Hanau, also, stood out for more money." (Op. cit., 13)
Included below is a tabulation of the numbers sent to America and the amount voted by Parliament. The manpower figures are agreed to by the two standards sources, Eelking and Lowell (post). The cost figures are Eelking's, but Van Tyne warns: "The exact profits cannot be computed, even the details of payment were kept secret by the British Ministry....."
German deserters entered the American melting pot, many of them coming from the Convention Army. Others received permission at the end of the war to remain in America. (Uhlendorf, Charleston, 3)
Writings of German officers are among the most valuable documents for historians of the Revolution. The Baurmeister Journals and Letters and the works of Baron and Baroness Riedesel are pre-eminent. Uhlendorf had edited German source material of the recently available Clements Collection. Standard secondary works are by Eelking and Lowell, identified in the main bibliography.
|
| Number |
Amount Voted |
Years of Service |
| Brunswick |
5,723 |
£750,000
| 8 |
|
| Hesse-Cassel |
16,992 |
£2,959,800 |
8 |
| Hesse-Hanau |
2,422 |
£343,130 |
8 |
| Anspach-Bayreuth |
2,353 |
£282,400 |
7 |
| Waldeck |
1,225 |
£140,000 |
8 |
| Anhalt-Zerbst |
1,160 |
£109,120 |
7
|
Table above shows the number of Germans sent to America & the total amount in British pounds voted by Parliament
|