The Hessians: Hired by the King

The Hessians: Hired by the King. .

"King George is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works the works of death, desolation and tyranny." , , Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

, The British had a powerful navy but a relatively small standing army, so it was in great need of troops once the Revolutionary War began. The decision was made to employ the services of "Hessian" soldiers. Who were these Hessians?, At the time of the American Revolutionary, there was no "Germany." Instead, there was a group of small German-speaking states under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire. The princes who ruled each state earned extra income by hiring out their soldiers to fight with other armies. These German states provided Britain with a ready supply of trained troops. The state of Hesse-Kassel contributed 17,0000 of the 30,000 German-speaking soldiers who fought for the British Army during the Revolutionary War. To the Americans, all of these soldiers were known as "Hessians.", Hessian soldiers entered British service not as individuals but in entire units, with their own uniforms, flags, equipment, and officers. Hessians were part of the British force that occupied Manhattan in 1776 after winning the Battle of Long Island., The Hessians who fought at the Battle of Edgar's Lane were based at Fort Knyphausen (as the British renamed the captured Fort Washington) on the northern end of Manhattan, and at forward camps on the hills of Yonkers. Hessians defended Manhattan Island's northernmost British outpost near the King's Bridge (the Kingsbridge neighborhood of Bronx today)., The Elite Jägers , The Hessians who fought at Edgar's Lane were elite troops called "Jägers," or "Hunters" in English. Known for their sharpshooting skills, Jägers were both foot and mounted soldiers. They carried the büchse, a short, large-caliber rifle well-suited to woodland combat, and a short sword or saber which was used in mounted combat., Hessians in a New Land , The Hessians who came to fight for the British found themselves in a challenging new world. They encountered American colonists who spoke a variety of languages, including German. Unlike in Europe, some farmers owned land and worked their own land. After the war, some 4,000 Hessian soldiers chose to settle in the United States and become Americans., Were the Hessians Merceneries? , Although Thomas Jefferson and many historians called them mercenaries, others note the difference between "auxiliaries" and "mercenaries." Auxiliaries were subjects of their prince and were "rented" to another prince or foreign power, while mercenaries are soldiers for hire who choose to fight for a foreign prince or power as individuals. By this definition, the Hessians who fought in the Revolution were British auxiliaries, not mercenaries., General Wilhelm von Knyphausen , Knyphausen served for 42 years in the armies of Prussia and Hesse-Kassel before joining the British forces in America in 1776, making him one of the most experienced officers of the Revolutionary War. By 1778 he commanded thousands of Hessian troops based in Manhattan and southern Westchester., Lieutenant Alexander Wilhelm Bickell , Bickell lost several men during the Edgar's Lane ambush but escaped along the Hudson River to join Hessian forces kept in Reserve., Lieutenant Balthasar Mertz , Serving under Captain von Donop, Mertz and his Jägers on horseback charged into the fight at Edgar's Lane, where they were surrounded and outnumbered. Mertz was captured during the battle. He was later released by the Continentals "accompanied by a trumpeter, with a letter of commendation to [British] General Clinton concerning the extraordinary good conduct of this brave man," as recounted by Captain Johann Ewald. The exchange of captured officers was common during the War of Independence., Captain Johann Ewald , Captain Ewald led a patrol of Jägers the morning of the Edgar's Lane attack, but found no Continentals. He warned von Donop, who was leading a second patrol, of a ravine that could expose them to danger.