War Military | American Revolution

Hessian Soldiers

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The British used Hessian soldiers because it was easier to "buy" foreign soldiers than to recruit their own countrymen.
As soldiers-for-hire, the Hessians helped the British army in their fight to subdue the colonists during the American Revolution.

Long vilified as paid agents of the British Crown, the Hessians have been an overlooked and misunderstood chapter of the American Revolution. In fact, Hessian soldiers were actually a well-trained fighting unit and part of a long-standing European tradition of auxiliary armies. By the time war broke out, King George III was strapped for soldiers and so turned to the German states for men. The soldiers were not paid for their services; the money went to the German princes of those states. Hessians were citizens of Hesse-Cassel, one of the most militarized of German states. Known for their exemplary training and fighting skills, Hessians were highly sought after as an auxiliary army, a common practice where nations hired soldiers as needed. During the American Revolution, the Hessians fought in every major battle; over 30,000 German soldiers fought during the war; of that number, 12,000 were true Hessians.

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Many of the Hessians who fought in the American Revolutionary War were not willing recruits, but were press-ganged into service.

 

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Wilhelm von Knyphausen, commander of the Hessian troops during the American Revolution, came from a military family background.

 

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To raise money for his treasury, Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, "rented out" Hessian soldiers to the British government.

 

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With the capture of the Hessians at the Battle of Trenton, the Patriots received an important victory and boost to morale.