Hessian (soldier)

This article is about troops from Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Hanau. For troops from other German states who fought in the American Revolution, see Germans in the American Revolution.
German Hessians
An 18th century illustration of two Hessian soldiers, including an officer (left) and private (right)
Country
Part ofAttached but not incorporated into the British Army
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Hessians (US: /ˈhɛʃənz/ or UK: /ˈhɛsiənz/)[1] were German soldiers who served as auxiliaries to the British Army in several major wars in the 18th century, most notably the American Revolutionary War.[2][3] The term is a synecdoche for all Germans who fought on the British side, since 65% came from the German states of Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Hanau. Known for their discipline and martial prowess, around 30,000 to 37,000 Hessians fought in the war, comprising approximately 25% of British land forces.[4][5]

While regarded both contemporaneously and historiographically as mercenaries,[6] Hessians were legally distinguished as auxiliaries: whereas mercenaries served a foreign government on their own accord, auxiliaries were soldiers hired out to a foreign party by their own government, to which they remained in service.[2] Auxiliaries were a major source of income for many small and relatively poor German states, typically serving in wars in which their governments were neutral. Like most auxiliaries of this period, Hessians were attached to foreign armies as entire units, fighting under their own flags, commanded by their usual officers, and wearing their existing uniforms.

Hessians played an essential role in the Revolutionary War, particularly in the northern theater.[7] They served with distinction in many battles, most notably at White Plains and Fort Washington.[7] The added manpower and skill of German troops greatly sustained the British war effort—at some points accounting for up to one-third of British strength—but also outraged colonists and increased support for the Revolutionary cause.[3][7] The use of "large armies of foreign mercenaries" was one of the 27 colonial grievances against King George III in the Declaration of Independence, and the Patriots cited the deployment of Hessians as proof of British violations of the colonists' rights.[8]

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). "hessian". Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
  2. ^ a b Atwood, Rodney (1980). The Hessians: Mercenaries from Hessen-Kassel in the American Revolution. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
  3. ^ a b "Hessian troops in the American Revolution introduced | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  4. ^ Alan Axelrod (2014). Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies. Sage Publications. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4833-4030-2.
  5. ^ "Hessians". American Battlefield Trust. 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  6. ^ Atwood, p. 1.
  7. ^ a b c "Hessians". American Battlefield Trust. 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  8. ^ Benjamin Franklin, "The Sale of the Hessians", (1777).