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Hessian influence on the revolutionary war
Posted on 10/29/26 at 6:02 pm
Posted on 10/29/26 at 6:02 pm
Of the 30,000 Germans involved, only about half survived and around 6,000 ended up settling in the Americas
Smithsonian Mag
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/15/6a/156a4923-bf80-47e0-8353-584546bf7130/hessians.png)
Just thought it was an interesting read and figured I'd share for any history buffs that may be lurking
Can anyone trace their ancestry back to one of these soldiers?
quote:
A fair number of Germans were sympathetic to the British cause or at least unsympathetic to the American one. “A colonist on Staten Island lived as comfortably as a German country gentleman, and it seemed extraordinary to the Hessians that people should revolt against a government under which they enjoyed so many blessings,” historian Edward J. Lowell wrote in 1884.
Smithsonian Mag
quote:
As Washington himself observed in a February 1777 letter, “One thing I must remark in favor of the Hessians, and that is, that our people who have been prisoners generally agree that they received much kinder treatment from them than from the British officers and soldiers.”
Just thought it was an interesting read and figured I'd share for any history buffs that may be lurking
Can anyone trace their ancestry back to one of these soldiers?
This post was edited on 10/29/26 at 6:03 pm
Posted on 10/29/26 at 6:30 pm to sgallo3
Supposedly they were all drunk at Trenton when GW crossed the Delaware, marched all night and kicked Hessian arse. That’s probably a myth, but either way their ineptitude there turned the tide for the Americans.
Posted on 10/29/26 at 6:45 pm to sgallo3
My ancestor came from Hess prior to the Revolutionary War. The son of that ancestor fought for the US in the Revolutionary War.
Posted on 10/29/26 at 6:51 pm to Ramblin Wreck
quote:
My ancestor came from Hess prior to the Revolutionary War. The son of that ancestor fought for the US in the Revolutionary War.
thats pretty cool
Posted on 10/29/26 at 6:55 pm to sgallo3
Hessian' yeah!
Posted on 10/29/26 at 6:58 pm to Ramblin Wreck
quote:
My ancestor came from Hess prior to the Revolutionary War. The son of that ancestor fought for the US in the Revolutionary War.
The Hessian soldiers that fought for Britain were shipped over from various German principalities in Europe. They weren’t Hessians that had settled in the colonies that chose to fight for the Crown.
So, your ancestors were more inline with the other Colonists than the Hessian mercenaries the British imported.
Posted on 10/29/26 at 7:07 pm to Ghost of Colby
True, he had a pretty remarkable life and also fought Indians as part of the state militia. I found an extremely long narrative of his life from his testimony when applying for a military pension.
Posted on 10/29/26 at 7:26 pm to sgallo3
Ancestor was one of the soldiers that went to Trenton and escorted the Hessians back. Story is that his PA/MD German regiment called out to the Hessians in German, catching them by surprise.
Posted on 10/29/26 at 7:47 pm to sgallo3
I don’t care what anyone says. Burtons take on Sleepy Hollow is really great.
Posted on 10/29/26 at 7:53 pm to sgallo3
Used to know a little bit about the Hessians and Germanic mercenary armies, but have forgotten it all.
First thing that comes to mind, though, is the old Bugs Bunny / Looney Toons show. There was one episode titled "Bunker Hill Bunny" in which Bugs plays an American Minuteman defending his turf against Sam von Schamm, the red coat Hessian mercenary.
Wikipedia
As an adult, I always found it clever how the old Looney Toons snuck in bits of history or classical music here and there in a way that was palatable to kids.
First thing that comes to mind, though, is the old Bugs Bunny / Looney Toons show. There was one episode titled "Bunker Hill Bunny" in which Bugs plays an American Minuteman defending his turf against Sam von Schamm, the red coat Hessian mercenary.
Wikipedia
As an adult, I always found it clever how the old Looney Toons snuck in bits of history or classical music here and there in a way that was palatable to kids.
This post was edited on 10/29/26 at 9:00 pm
Posted on 10/29/26 at 7:55 pm to sgallo3
Mercenaries gonna Mercenary.
Posted on 10/29/26 at 7:59 pm to Bob the Terrible
What do you mean Bob
This post was edited on 10/29/26 at 8:00 pm
Posted on 10/29/26 at 8:12 pm to Ramblin Wreck
quote:
My ancestor came from Hess prior to the Revolutionary War. The son of that ancestor fought for the US in the Revolutionary War.
I wonder if our ancestors were in the same regiment? Was yours at Valley Forge?
Posted on 10/29/26 at 9:12 pm to Free888
quote:
I wonder if our ancestors were in the same regiment? Was yours at Valley Forge?
No, my ancestor served in Georgia where they were simultaneously having to fight against the British and the occasional Indian attacks against settlers.
Posted on 10/30/26 at 1:10 am to sgallo3
Recently learned that my Mothers dad side fought with the British in that war. He was an officer and changed the spelling of his last name after the war and moved south. He was a German.
Posted on 10/30/26 at 1:28 am to rickyh
That's the way they got rid of disgruntled peasant men in Europe since the 1200's and probably before. Whatever Hessian Prince made bank, in gold, off that cannon fodder.
Posted on 10/30/26 at 1:36 am to sgallo3
On the other side, the Prussian Von Steuben wrote the Continental Army's drill manual
Posted on 10/30/26 at 6:31 am to sgallo3
Not German, but would’ve been cool.
Had two in Revolutionary War, a Patriot and a Highlander Loyalist who fought for the crown.
Had two in Revolutionary War, a Patriot and a Highlander Loyalist who fought for the crown.
Posted on 10/30/26 at 6:45 am to sgallo3
quote:
That's the British 6-pound brass cannon we captured at the Siege of Yorktown.
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