Hessians

Between 1776 and 1783, Britain hired an estimated 30,000 German soldiers to fight in its war against the Americans. Collectively known as Hessians, the soldiers and accompanying civilians, including women and children, spent extended periods of time in locations as dispersed and varied as Canada in the North to West Florida and Cuba in the South. This study examines how they experienced and described the war they fought in, the land they traversed, and the people they encountered. Based chiefly on their own writings, including a large body of letters and diaries, the book offers a ground-breaking reimaging of Britain's war against American independence.

Friederike Baer is Associate Professor of History and Division Head for Arts and Humanities at Pennsylvania State University, Abington College. Her research focuses on the experiences of German-speaking people in North America from the Revolutionary period to the late nineteenth century. Her publications include the monograph The Trial of Frederick Eberle: Language, Patriotism and Citizenship in Philadelphia's German Community, 1790-1830, winner of the St. Paul's, Biglerville Prize for the best book in Lutheran church history.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: "A Matter Pregnant with Great, Serious, National Consequences:" Britain's Decision to Hire German Auxiliaries
Chapter 2: "In General a Good Body, and Very Fit for Service:" Recruiting the Auxiliaries
Chapter 3: "Moving Across a Vast Body of Water in Nutshells:" The Voyage to America
Chapter 4: "The Garden of all of North America:" New York and New Jersey, 1776
Chapter 5: "An Unfortunate Affair:" Trenton, 1776
Chapter 6: "The Men are Weary from Toil:" Canada, 1776 and 1777
Chapter 7: "A War Against all Humanity:" Fort Stanwix, Saratoga, Quebec, 1777 to 1783
Chapter 8: "They were Vexed to Find that we Looked like Human Beings:" Captivity, 1776 to 1781
Chapter 9: "Good Night, Peace:" Philadelphia, 1777
Chapter 10: "Conquered Little but Lost Much:" Philadelphia, Rhode Island, New York, 1778 to 1780
Chapter 11: "How German Bones are Scattered around in this War": The Spanish Borderlands, 1778 to 1782
Chapter 12: "We Joyously went on the Expedition:" Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, 1778 to 1782
Chapter 13: "We were once again Onlookers and Idlers:" Captivity after Yorktown, 1781 to 1783
Chapter 14: "I Will Always Call them Rebels:" Evacuation, 1783
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index