The treaty between King George III and the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel for German troops to serve in North America provided for two companies of Field Jaegers. These light troops had first been raised in Hesse-Cassel in 1758 and had taken part in the Seven Years War with France. They were trained marksmen recruited from among hunters and gamekeepers.

The need for men skilled in woods fighting had been foreseen as early as 1776, and that need grew as the Amencan Revolution continued. Subsequent agreements were reached for more Hessian Jaeger companies. By the summer of 1777, there were five foot companies with an authorized strength of 1,067 officers and men, nominally formed into the Field Jaeger Corps under Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig Johan Adam von Wurmb.

Actually, the Corps totaled scarcely 500 men and officers, and it is quite certain that it never reached its full strength. Because detachments were always being drawn off for special missions, the Corps is credited with an impressive number of American battle honors including Flatbush, White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine and Yorktown.

Uniform

The Hesse-Cassel Jaegers wore green coats with crimson lapels, cuffs, collars and linings; and green waistcoats. Mounted jaegers wore leather breeches; those of the foot jaegers were green to match their coats. Either white or buff breeches were worn during hot weather.

During their American service, the foot Jaegers replaced their boots with high gaiters of brown leather or cloth. Their equipment was of buff leather. Jaegers wore green cockades and on parade wore tall plumes in their cocked hats. The color of these plumes varied based upon the laeger's grade and possibly, his company.

The green and red uniform was typical of similar units in all Gennan armies. European huntsmen and foresters had favored green clothing since the early Middle Ages and this color became the symbol of their trade. When the Prussian army formed its first regular Jaeger unit in 1744, it was given a green uniform with red facings to emphasize its military standards. The smaller German states dutifully followed suit with minor modifications. The Brunswick and Ansbach-Bayreuth Jaeger companies, which also served with the British, differed little in appearance from the Hesse-Cassel Corps.

Weapon

The Jaeger's weapon was a short, heavy rifle, somewhat larger in caliber than the average American rifle. Weapons varied greatly since many were the individual Jaeger's personal property. Most were plain and rather massive firearms with simple brass mountings and patch boxes with sliding wooden covers in the butt. The Jaeger rifle was the direct ancestor of the American rifle, many of which resembled it. It was equal to the American in accuracy except at extreme range. Like American riflemen, the Jaeger used a "patched ball" and could load and fire as rapidly as his opponent.

Neither the American or Jaeger rifle were made to take bayonets. The foot jaeger therefore carried a straight two-edged 'hunting' sword approximately 22 inches long. The scabbord for this sword often had a built-in sheath on its outer surface for a hunting knife. Mounted jaegers earned a light cavalry saber and pistols, although they normally fought dismounted.

Though handicapped by the problems of obtaining qualified replacements, the Jaegers were probably the most effective of the British mercenaries, and were used as skirmishers, scouts and snipers. They used hunting horns for signalling. Proud of their elite status, thoroughly disciplined, and led by veteran officers, the jaegers worked efficiently with line infantry, a technique the individualistic American riflemen learned the hard way.

[Editor's Note: this article appears in the book "Military Uniforms in America, The Era of the American Revolution 1755-1795."; Presidio Press, San Rafael, CA, 1974.]

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