Johann Ewald

Johann von Ewald
Print of Ewald in his Danish general's uniform
Born(1744-03-20)20 March 1744
Kassel, Hesse-Kassel (present-day Germany)
Died25 June 1813(1813-06-25) (aged 69)
AllegianceHesse Hesse-Kassel
Denmark Kingdom of Denmark-Norway
Service / branchArmy
Years of serviceHesse-Kassel: 1762–1788
Kingdom of Denmark-Norway: 1788–1813
RankLieutenant General
CommandsSchleswig Jäger Corps

Schleswig-Holstein Battalion of Light Infantry
Military command of Hamburg

Military command of the Duchy of Holstein
Battles / wars
AwardsGrand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog
French Legion of Honor
Dutch Order of the Union
Order of the Dannebrog

Johann von Ewald (20 March 1744 – 25 June 1813) was a German military officer from Hesse-Kassel. After first serving in the Seven Years' War, he was the commander of the Jäger corps of the Hessian Leib Infantry Regiment attached to British forces in the American Revolutionary War.[1] He arrived with his troops, first serving in the Battle of White Plains in October 1776. He saw regular action until his capture at Yorktown in 1781. In 1788, he joined the Danish Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant general; he also served as governor general of Holstein during the Napoleonic Wars.[2] Following his American war experiences, he wrote an Essay on Partisan Warfare (German: Abhandlung über den kleinen Krieg), a widely read treatise on guerrilla warfare. He also kept a journal during most of his time in North America that has since become a valuable resource for historians of the war.

  1. ^ "Captain Johann Ewald". National Park Service.
  2. ^ "Johann Ewald's Memoirs: A Hessian captain's notes on the Revolutionary War". The New York Times. 14 March 1881.