The term Hessian (pronounced /ˈhɛ ʃən/[1]) refers to eighteenth-century German regiments hired through their rulers by the British Empire to fight against American rebel colonists during the American Revolutionary War.
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During the American Revolutionary War, Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel (a principality in northern Hesse or Hessia) and other German leaders hired out thousands of conscripted subjects as auxiliaries to Great Britain to fight against the American revolutionaries. About 30,000 of these soldiers were sold into service. They were called Hessians, because 12,992 of the total 30,067 men came from Hesse-Kassel.
Some were direct subjects of King George III; he ruled them as the Elector of Hanover. Other soldiers were sent by Count William of Hesse-Hanau; Duke Charles I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Prince Frederick of Waldeck; Margrave Karl Alexander of Ansbach-Bayreuth; and Prince Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst. Other Hessian soldiers were Russian mercenaries who fought for pay. The "Hessian" troops included more than 16,000 Russian soldiers.[citation needed]
The troops were not mercenaries in the modern sense of military professionals who voluntarily hire out their own services for money. As in most armies of the eighteenth century, the men were mainly conscripts, debtors, or the victims of impressment; some were also petty criminals. Pay was low; some soldiers received nothing but their daily food. The officer corps usually consisted of career officers who had served in earlier European wars. The revenues paid for the men's service went back to the German royalty. Nevertheless, some Hessian units were respected for their discipline and excellent military skills.
Hessians comprised approximately one-quarter of the forces fielded by the British in the American Revolution. They included jäger, hussars, three artillery companies, and four battalions of grenadiers. Most of the infantry were chasseurs (sharpshooters), musketeers, and fusiliers. They were armed mainly with smoothbore muskets, while the Hessian artillery used 3-pounder cannon. Initially the average regiment was made up of 500–600 men. Later in the war, the regiments had only 300–400 men.[citation needed]
About 18,000 Hessian troops arrived in the Thirteen Colonies in 1776, with more coming in later. They first landed at Staten Island on August 15, 1776. Their first engagement was in the Battle of Long Island. The Hessians fought in almost every battle, although after 1777, the British used them mainly as garrison troops. An assortment of Hessians fought in the battles and campaigns in the southern states during 1778–80 (including Guilford Courthouse), and two regiments fought at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.
The British use of Hessian troops rankled American sentiment, and pushed more loyalists to be in favor of the revolution. The British use of foreign troops to put down the rebellion was seen as insulting, as it treated British subjects no differently than non-British subjects. Pro-British Tories believed that the British nature of Americans should have entitled them to other than mercenary foes.
One of the most famous incidents involving the Hessian soldiers was the Battle of Trenton, where almost all of a force of 1400 Hessians were either captured or killed. Approximately 100 were estimated killed, and 900 were captured as prisoners. General George Washington's Continental Army crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776, to carry out a highly successful surprise attack.[2]
In addition to firepower, American rebels such as Andrew Norman Martin used propaganda against Hessians.[citation needed] They enticed Hessians to desert and join the large German-American population. In addition to offering land bounties to colonial recruits, the US Congress authorized the offer of 50 acres of land to individual Hessian soldiers to encourage them to desert. They offered 50-800 acres to British soldiers, depending on rank.[3]
In August 1777 a satirical letter, "The Sale of the Hessians", was written and widely distributed. It claimed that a Hessian commander wanted more of his soldiers dead so that he could be better compensated. For many years the author of the letter was unknown. In 1874 John Bigelow translated it to English (from French) and claimed that Benjamin Franklin wrote it, including it in his biography, The Life of Benjamin Franklin, published that year. There appears to be no evidence to support this claim.[4]
When British General John Burgoyne surrendered to American General Horatio Gates during the Saratoga campaign, his surrender involved around 5,800 troops. The surrender was negotiated in the Convention of Saratoga, and Burgoyne's remnant army became known as the Convention Army. Soldiers from Brunswick-Lüneburg under General Riedesel comprised a high percentage of the Convention Army. The Americans marched the prisoners to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they were imprisoned in the Albemarle Barracks until 1781. From there they were sent to Reading, Pennsylvania until 1783.
After the war ended in 1783, some 17,313 Hessian soldiers returned to their homelands. Of the 12,526 who did not return, about 7,700 had died. Some 1,200 were killed in action and 6,354 died from illness or accidents, mostly the former.[citation needed] The high rate of fatalities from disease during wartime was a recurring element up until improvements in sanitation and understanding of germ theory in the late 19th century. Approximately 5,000 Hessians settled in North America, both in the United States and Canada. In some cases, their commanders refused to take them back to Germany because they were criminals or physically unfit. Most of the men married and settled amongst the population of the newly formed United States. Many became farmers or craftsmen and were able to take advantage of opportunities in the new country. The number of their direct descendants living in the U.S. and Canada today is a subject of debate.
The British rushed Hessian mercenaries to Ireland in 1798 to assist in the suppression of rebellion inspired by the Society of United Irishmen, an organization that first worked for Parliamentary reform. Influenced by the American and French revolutions, its members began by 1798 to seek independence for Ireland. Baron Hompesch's 2nd Battalion of riflemen embarked on 11 April 1798 from the Isle of Wight bound for the port of Cork. They were later joined by the Jager (Hunter) 5th Battalion 60th regiment. They were in the action of the battles of Vinegar Hill and Foulksmills. In 1798 the Hessians were notorious in Ireland for their atrocities and brutality toward the population of Wexford.[citation needed]
Anspach-Bayreuth
  | Historical Project: Letters by a Hessian Officer - Philipps-Universität Marburg - Seminar für Neuere Geschichte - Frühe Neuzeit : Edition bisher unbekannter Privatbriefe aus dem Amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg (1776-1783) |
| | Johannes Schwalm Historical Association website - JSHA.ORG HomePage |
| | Haldimand Collection - Numerous references to the role of Hessian troops in the American war of Independence - Haldimand Collection Papers |
| | Franklin and "The Sale of the Hessians": The Growth of a Myth - JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie |
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