About the Book
Between 1776 and 1783, Britain hired an estimated 30,000 German soldiers to fight in its war against the Americans. Collectively known as Hessians, they actually came from six German territories within the Holy Roman Empire. Over the course of the war, members of the German corps, 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. They shared in every
significant British military triumph and defeat. Thousands died of disease, were killed in battle, were captured by the enemy, or deserted.
Collectively, they recorded their experiences
and observations of the war they fought in, the land they traversed, and the people they encountered in a large body of letters, diaries, and similar private and official records. Friederike Baer presents a study of Britain's war against the American rebels from the perspective of the German soldiers, a people uniquely positioned both in the midst of the war and at its margins. The book offers a ground-breaking reimagining of this watershed event in world history.
Table of Contents:
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, & 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
About the Author :
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.
Review :
Professor Baer has written a lucid and engaging history of the Hessians' experience in a war far from their native lands, using a remarkable number of primary sources in German to do so.
In this terrific book, Baer (Pennsylvania State Univ., Abington College) displays her comprehensive research in both the extant literature and numerous archives in Great Britain, France, the US, and all six German states that fought in the American Revolutionary War. The result is a truly definitive account of the 30,000 German auxiliaries, ranging from the six treaties they signed to the individual contingents' experiences and perspectives.
In Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, Friederike Baer offers a thorough and critical analysis of the German experience in the American Revolution. Relying on a variety of international sources, Baer reveals how German soldiers perceived the conflict, and how their contributions affected the outcome of the war. Despite their being major players in the British war effort, the contributions of German auxiliary soldiers remain some of the most under-studied elements of the American Revolution. Baer's efforts to shed light on these often-overlooked sources has helped to fill a critical gap in modern Revolutionary scholarship, making Hessians an essential read.
It is bound to become required reading for anyone interested in America's struggle for independence.
It is rare these days to encounter a scholarly work free of jargon, political polemics, and presentist interpretations. It is especially rare to find a book superbly grounded in primary sources that is also readable. Friederike Baer's Hessians not only fits the bill in both cases but also expertly analyzes a historically significant and fascinating subchapter of the American Revolution that has not been comprehensively examined for over a hundred years.
Rarely does any one book completely obviate the need for any other, effectively replacing all previous works on the subject. Hessians is just such a book. It is not just an addition to a good library on the American Revolution, it may actually free up some space by making a few other books unnecessary. Books like that are rare, and welcome.
Hessians... is an excellent book. Beyond simply filling a historiographical need, it is well-written, without the jargon that limits the audience for many academic books, making it widely accessible to any reader wanting to learn about German auxiliaries in the Revolutionary War. It is also exceptionally thorough, with Baer seemingly having explored every archive and addressed every conceivable topic relating to German soldiers. It is a worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in the American Revolution.
Hessians is a deftly written, richly detailed study and appraisal of a complex and vital component in Revolutionary War history. ... Baer's mastery of source material-twenty-six pages of bibliography, six of manuscript collections, mostly German-is reflected in her skillful weaving of first-hand accounts into her overall narrative. ... Hessians is a superb work of scholarship and is an essential volume for any student of Revolutionary War history.
Baer has written an extremely gripping account of the adventures of German auxiliaries during the American Revolution. ... By using the writings of the Hessians themselves, ... Baer has personalized their experiences and crafted a volume that is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the American Revolution.
Baer succeeded in presenting a balanced study of the ambiguities and contradictions of this state-building war, particularly through the exhaustive use of primary sources, which deserves wide reception.
