Dear rogerkemple-ga;
Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. For the
most part the Hessian soldiers stationed in New Jersey at the time
were mercenaries (soldiers for hire) employed by the British and
commanded by Hessian Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall who served under
British Commander Sir William Howe:
US HISTORY.COM
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h679.html
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h668.html
There are many documented accounts of what took place that day on
December 26, 1776 that led up to the Hessian defeat, but the success
can ultimately be traced to a well placed spy named John Honeyman who,
posing as a Loyalist, betrayed the British after a cleverly staged
?capture? allowing him to relay news to the American?s that the
British were about retire to their encampment for the winter. Honeyman
told Washington exactly where the fortified positions would be, which
in turn gave Washington the idea of striking the weakest point, the
Hessians, as a means of breaking through:
?In the closing days of 1776, the future looked gloomy for the
American colonists; their Revolution was in dire straits. The remnants
of the American army in Pennsylvania, led by General George
Washington, were fading away. Across the Delaware River, the English
forces had gone into winter quarters and were awaiting the start of a
final campaign in the spring of the coming year, when they would crush
any remaining American force. A brigade of Hessian hirelings was
stationed at the most exposed English outpost at Trenton; their
commander was Hessian colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall, hero of White
Plains and Fort Washington. On 26 December, however, the course of
history took a sharp and sudden change when the two commanders,
Washington and Rall, clashed. Washington's army of 6,000 men crossed
the Delaware River in a blinding winter storm and attacked Rall's
brigade. In the fighting which followed, the Americans had only a
handful of casualties, while Hessian casualties amounted to about
900.?
?As Christmas approached, a Loyalist butcher named John Honeyman was
captured by American scouts in New Jersey and taken to Pennsylvania
for an interview with Washington. In actuality, he was an American spy
who conveyed the news to his comrades that Sir William Howe, the
British commander, had called off Cornwallis?s pursuit and that their
armies would take up winter quarters on Manhattan and Staten Island;
several positions in New Jersey were to be manned by Hessian
mercenaries. Honeyman was returned to Trenton, where he informed
Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall that the Americans were completely
demoralized and incapable of mounting an attack.?
THE TRENTON COMMANDERS: JOHANN GOTTLIEB RALL AND GEORGE WASHINGTON, AS
NOTED IN HESSIAN DIARIES
http://www.usedbookcentral.com/cgi-bin/texis/scripts/ubc/addcart.html
You may also gain some valuable insight into the skirmish through this site:
HESSIAN DIARIES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
BOOKS AND LECTURES
BY BRUCE E. BURGOYNE
http://www.geocities.com/hessians1776/index.htm
You will find another extremely enlightening source here:
THE HESSIAN FAQ
http://www.vondonop.org/HessianFAQ.html
As you will see the site lists the following dispositions for the
Hessian soldiers (most likely incomplete):
535 reported as killed in action
3,014 reported as deserted or missing
2,628 reported as captured during the war
4,983 reported as died of other causes (disease, accidents, etc.)
Of particular interest to you will be this part of the article:
?I have an ancestor who was a Hessian soldier, where can I get more information??
?It can be very hard to find information about Hessian soldiers in
most cases. Some soldiers, namely those captured at Trenton, are
listed in the appendix of the book "The Hessian view of America".
There is an overall list of the fate of all soldiers from
Hessen-Kassel (at least as far as their superior officers were
concerned), in the "Hessische Truppen im Nord Amerika"(HETRINA)
catalog. A partial copy exists in the David Library at Washington's
Crossing, PA, another at the Rutgers library in New Brunswick, and
copies are also owned by the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association
and the Lancaster County Historical Society, and the University of
Pennsylvania Library.?
http://www.vondonop.org/HessianFAQ.html#ancestor
I will include some other links at the bottom that might aid your
search for your ancestor. I hope you find that my research exceeds
your expectations. If you have any questions about my research please
post a clarification request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I
welcome your rating and your final comments and I look forward to
working with you again in the near future. Thank you for bringing your
question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher
OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES
THE HESSIANS AND THE OTHER GERMAN AUXILIARIES OF GREAT BRITAIN IN THE
REVOLUTIONARY WAR
BY EDWARD J. LOWELL
http://www.americanrevolution.org/hessindex.html
(This entire 300+ page book is now online for free)
BARRACKS HISTORY: First Battle of Trenton
http://www.barracks.org/barracks/battle1.html
(A detailed historical account of the Battle of Trenton)
Historical Resources Branch
US ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
The War of American Independence
BIBLIOGRAPHY
German Participation
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/reference/revbib/germp.htm
(All known manuscripts of personal accounts, German perspectives)
ROOTSWEB Registry of Hessian names
http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=AMREV-HESSIANS
(Type in an ancestor?s name and see if anything on them has been
discussed in the rootsweb archives.)
IGS Hesse Searches - Hessian Soldiers in Hesse and America, Hesse
Civilians in Germany and Hesse Immigrants to North America
http://feefhs.org/igs/igs-hess.html
(For a small fee this service will research your Hessian ancestor for you)
INTERNET LISTING OF HESSIAN SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION
http://member.tripod.com/~Silvie/Hessian.html
IR von Donop Links
http://www.vondonop.org/vondonoplinks.html
(Links to other relevant websites and pages)
PBS VIDEO INDEX
Times That Try Men's Souls -LIBERTY! THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
http://videoindex.pbs.org/program/chapter.jsp?item_id=6195&chap_id=9
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
HESSIANS
PRISONERS
TRENTON
NEW JERSEY
COMMANDER
CAPTURED
LIST
GENEALOGY |
