American War of Independence

The Hessians

Hessian Recruitment and Performance

By Ian 'the Duke' Turton

Recruitment

Sergeant of Grenadiers, Infantry Regiment Erprinz, (Hesse-Hanau) 1776

Hesse-Cassel sent the largest contingent to the New World. However, as the following table reveals, significant contingents were provided by other states;

    Brunswick: 5,723
    Hesse-Cassel: 16,992
    Hesse-Hanau 2,422
    Anspach-Bayreuth: 2,353
    Waldeck: 1,225
    Anhalt-Zerbst: 1,160
    Otal: 29,875

Approximately 20,000 men arrived in 1776, providing General Howe with an Army which heavily outnumbered his American enemies. With this force the British went onto the offensive driving the Colonists before them during the first year of the war.

The Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel sent his small regular army for which he was richly rewarded, receiving the vaste sum of two million nine hundred and fifty nine thousand pounds over the course of the war. Payments were received for each soldier sent, with additional amounts being paid as compensation for casualties in battle. The Hessians served under their own generals, indeed all German commanders, most prominently Generals von Knyphausen and Riedesel, coming from the state of Hesse-Cassel.

However, not every state was as generous in its provision of men. The Duke of Brunswick recruited regiments from poor houses, homes for the aged and prisons. Indeed one regiment which saw service in Burgoyne's Army during its operations in Upper New York was described as being full of 'elderly gentlemen' entirely unsuited for wilderness campaigning. The age and poor quality of some Brunswick Regiments was noted by contemporary diarists, and it appears that they were not up to the standard of the troops sent by Hesse-Cassel.

Such second-line troops were usually assigned to garrison duty, leaving the bulk of campaigning to British regulars and the better Hessian Regiments which served in every major engagement of the war.

Performance in the Field

The death of Colonel Rall at Trenton.

The Americans and some English diarists recorded that the Hessians were undisciplined in their treatment of the Colonists. Whether these claims were justified by events or not it is hard to say. However, what is clear is that the reputation of these soldiers suffered as the result of war-time propaganda and the belief by some writers (particularly American historians) that the Hessians did not perform well in the field.

The first major clash between the German 'mercenaries' and the Colonists in the American War of Independence was with the Brigade of Hessians at Trenton. However, in this celebrated action the Germans, who had not posted adequate picquets, were surprised over "Christmas drinks" and do not appear to have been in the position to put up much of a fight.

[According to accounts the Americans waited until they were sure that the Germans would be 'in their cups' i.e. well and truly drunk. The American victory was complete, devastating and had enormous consequences for the war as at the time American fortunes were at their lowest ebb and the Continental army was in desperate circumstances. Their victory at Trenton changed this completely. English historian George Trevelyan wrote that "it may be doubted whether so small a number of men ever employed so short a space of time with greater or more lasting results upon the history of the world" – Ed.]

After a few minutes of confused fighting the bulk of the Brigade was marched off into captivity, with Colonel Rall, the commander of this unfortunate Brigade, paying for his error with his life. [Hessian losses were 106 dead or wounded, 918 taken prisoner and 3-400 managed to escape against American losses of four men wounded!]

However, few battlefield performances of the Hessians ended in such an ignominious manner. The Hessians distinguished themselves during the capture of Fort Washington which was renamed Fort Knyphausen in honour of the Hessian Commander. They also performed creditably at Long Island, Brandywine Creek and during most other engagements of the early war.

At Freeman's Farm General von Riedesel lead the Hessians with vigour. Their timely arrival during the afternoon of the battle prevented the British firing line from collapse under the weight of American attacks and it is widely considered that his swift action was responsible for the British Army retaining control of the field at the end of the day. Certainly Riedesel's initiative stands in stark contrast to the inactivity of General Fraser and other Brigade Commanders, who must have heard that a battle was raging but did not march to the sound of the guns.

Regiments from Hesse-Cassel served in every major engagement of the war and were regarded as well trained and disciplined troops.

The Jaeger companies in particular saw wide service in all theatres of operation. This reputation for efficiency continued on into the early campaigns of the French Revolution, during which the soldiers from Hesse-Cassel served with credit. Several Hessian Light Infantry officers after the war went on to write treatises on light infantry tactics. These in turn had a profound impact on the organisation of the Prussian and other European armies. In short, I feel it is harsh to characterise their battlefield performance as sub-standard.

Of course not all Regiments performed so well. The Duke of Brunswick sent a Regiment of Dragoons to the New World without horses, on the assumption that they could be obtained locally. They could not. This under strength force spent the first months of the Saratoga Campaign traipsing through the wilderness of Upper New York/Vermont in full cavalry uniform, omplete with knee length cavalry boots and sabres in the futile search for horses. [Although contemporary sources such as those quoted in Blandford's 'Uniforms of the American Revolution' suggest that infantry leggings and boots were issued - Ed.']

When cornered during the battle of Bennington (itself triggered in part by this same search for mounts), the Dragoons formed themselves into line, drew sabres and charged. In the absence of horses the charge was not a success. The records are silent as to whether the second line of troopers beat coconuts together in the grand tradition of Monty Python to which such an action truly belongs.

The Hessians were sometimes equipped by English contractors with disastrous and occasionally comic results. A Regiment was unable to take the field for several months following its arrival in Canada because the contractor provided the unit with ballet slippers instead of boots! Uniform quality was also poor, particularly when original uniforms were replaced by shoddy gear later in the war. The long coats and mitre hats of many regiments were unsuited to the rigours of campaigning in the wilderness, although most regiments replaced their parade ground knee boots and pantaloons with overalls on arrival in America.

Of the 30,000 Hessians who arrived in America some 7,754 died of disease or the wounds. The Americans also actively encouraged the Hessians to desert by offering them bounties and parcels of land. Some 5,000 took up the offer, with many of coming from Burgoyne's Army which was captured in its entirety during the Saratoga Campaign.

End Note

What did Frederick of Hesse-Cassel do with his ill-gotten loot? Spend it on his people amongst other things. As a lawyer I am proud to say that Frederick introduced a system of Legal Aid to his state, in an effort to ensure that all citizens could afford representation before the Courts. He was a popular and in many regards an enlightened ruler in comparison to most others from this period of history. Upon his death a grateful people erected a monument in his honour funded by public subscription. Of the war's major personalities, Von Riedesel and Knyphausen held public office after the wars and lived long and prosperous lives.

Unlike their British counterparts, the returning German veterans from the AWI were not all scorned by the public. The Duke of Brunswick held a welcome home parade for his returning soldiers, during which they were greeted with adulation (and relief) by the gathered crowd, undoubtedly pleased that their loved ones had returned after a seven year absence.

More American War of Independence

Battle of Lexington Scenario

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