HESSIANS

Approximately 30,000 German troops were hired by the British to fight in the American Revolution, some 65 per cent of whom were from the Hessian states of Hesse - Kassel and Hesse - Hanau. In Bennington, Vermont stands a Monument to a battle fought nearby on 16 August 1777 which was a major defeat to Hessian forces.  The Battle of Bennington was the first time during the conflict that an entire Hessian detachment was killed or captured. An elevator inside the Monument takes you to the top where three states can be viewed, Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts. Unfortunately, when I visited in September it was broken and waiting for a replacement part.  

                                                                                         Monument in Bennington, Vermont

The German commander at the Battle of Bennington in 1777 was Lieutenant Colonel Frederich Baum, an officer from the German state of Brunswick.  He led an expeditionary force under British General John Burgoyne with the goal of capturing American supplies and horses in Bennington. His raid ended in disaster, as his force of about 700 was overwhelmed by American militia and Baum himself was mortally wounded.  The force led by Baum was made up of approximately:

- 170 from the Dragoon Regiment Prinz - Ludwig 

- 100 Brunswick Jagers and Grenadiers

- 30 or more artillerymen from Hesse Hanau 

- 100 Loyalists including Colonel John Peters' Queen's Loyal Rangers and Philip Skene

- 58 Canadians

- 100 Iroquois warriers from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne

Greater than 2,000 American soldiers faced Baum's force.  They were composed of militias from New Hampshire, Vermont, and Berkshire County, Massachusetts with some Continental regulars.  The commanders were John Stark  and  Seth Warner . Outside the Battle of Bennington Monument there are statues to both.

Other key battles involving Hessians during the American Revolution were: Battle of Trenton , December 26, 1777 ; Battle of Saratoga ,September - October, 1777; Battle of White Plains ,October 28, 1776; Battle of Yorktown  ,September - October, 1781; Battle of Brandywine September 11, 1777; Battle of Fort Washington, November 16, 1776; and Battle of Germantown, October 4, 1777.

The Major German principalities that sent troops to fight for the British were:

1) Hesse-Kassel: Largest contingent, providing nearly 17,000 men. Regiments included: Fusilier Regiment von Ditfurth; Leib Infantry Regiment; Musketeer Regiment von Trümbach (later von Bose);Grenadier Regiment von Rall (the unit captured at the Battle of Trenton)

2) Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel: More than 4,000 troops, many surrendered at the Battles of Saratoga  and included Musketeer Regiment Prinz Friedrich; Dragoon Regiment Prinz Ludwig;Light Infantry Battalion von Barner

3) Hesse-Hanau: Over 2,400 troops, including infantry, artillery, and a Jäger (ranger) corps. Also  Regiment Erbprinz, which was also captured at Saratoga

4) Ansbach-Bayreuth: Approximately 2,300 soldiers, some of whom surrendered at Yorktown.

5) Waldeck: Over 1,200 soldiers who saw action in New York and the Florida campaigns.

6) Anhalt-Zerbst: About 1,100 troops that served as garrison forces in Canada and New York.

When the American Revolution ended approximately 17,000 of the German soldiers returned to Germany, while others remained in North America. settling in the new United States and others in Canada. Some came to Nova Scotia and a Cairn is located there in remembrance of the Waldeck Settlement in Annapolis County.

Further Reading:

Battle of Bennington:An Eyewitness Account of the American Revolution and New England Life. The Journal of J. F.Wasmus, German Company Surgeon, 1776-1783 Helga Doblin, transl., Mary C. Lynn, ed.(Westport: Greenwood Press, 1990), pp. 67-76.

“The Hessians of Nova Scotia: The Personal Files of 235 Hessian Soldiers who Settled in Nova Scotia After the American Revolution “ by Johannesburg Helmut Merry and Terrence M. Punch, Seventh Town Historical Society, 2005

The Waldeck Settlement in Nova Scotia , Historic Nova Scotia,  by Brian McConnell, UE

“Waldeck Soldiers of the American Revolution”, by Bruce E. Burgoyne, Heritage Books, published 2008