The German Allied Troops in the North American War of Independence, 1776-1783

Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc, 1987. Facsimile Edition, presumed first printing thus. Wraps. Very good. Format is approximately 5.375 inches by 8.25 inches. 369, [7] pages. Facsimile Reprint of work originally published by Joel Munsell's Sons in Albany, NY in 1893. Contains Preface, Manuscript Authorities, The Treaties, and The German Allies in the American Revolution. Also contains Notes, and an Appendix listing the Hessian troops sent to America in 1776, as well as a list of the Officers of the Hessian Corps serving under Generals Howe, Clinton, and Carleton, 1776-1783, and a list of the Hessian Corps in America, and the German allies. Also contains an index of people and places, as well as the names of all officers and soldiers found on pages 281 to 351. This was originally published in Hanover, Germany in 1863 in two volumes of pp. 379 and pp. 271. This is an abridged edition of a history in English of the German troops (i.e., Hessians, Brunswickers, Waldeckers, etc.) who fought on the British side in the American Revolution. Nearly 100 pages are devoted to "A List of the Officers . . . 1776-1783," which names about 1,500 men, arranged by regiment and thereunder by rank, with dates of service and other records. Since many of these German "auxiliaries" were captured and ultimately remained in America, this work should interest many researchers with ancestors from the Revolutionary era. With indexes to names and to places. What has been left out is all that relates to the general history of the Revolution. There remains much that is likely to have value for students of American History. This is based on a number of manuscript sources. Max von Eelking (born October 16, 1813 in Jena, † February 7, 1873 in Meiningen) was a German officer and historian. In 1832 he entered the military and rose to major there. He devoted himself to military history. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, he left the military in 1866. Joseph George Rosengarten (July 14, 1835 - January 14, 1921) was a Philadelphia lawyer, historian, and Civil War veteran. He served on the staff of General John F. Reynolds. In 1849, at just fourteen years of age, Rosengarten was admitted to the University of Pennsylvania, graduating three years later with the degree of A.B. in the Class of 1852. In 1855, Rosengarten received the degree of M.A. from the same university. In 1859, Rosengarten witnessed abolitionist John Brown's famous raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia.[4] Brown was attempting to start an armed slave revolt by seizing a United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Brown's raid was defeated by a detachment of marines led by then Colonel Robert E. Lee. Rosengarten had been traveling at the time as a guest with the Directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad, his father being one of the directors. His train stopped at Harper's Ferry and Rosengarten witnessed the attack made by Lee's men on the engine house where John Brown had sought refuge. He later saw John Brown lying wounded. Rosengarten wrote a vivid account of the raid, and what he had witnessed, that was published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1865. Rosengarten fought with distinction at the Battle of Fredericksburg, "distinguishing himself for bravery, picking up the colors after four sergeants had been disabled and carrying them successfully through the engagement." As a result, he gained the notice of Major General John F. Reynolds, and was offered the post of Ordnance Officer and a position on General Reynolds' staff. Rosengarten remained on Reynolds' staff, fighting under him at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, until Reynolds was killed in action during the latter battle. Rosengarten was assigned the honor of escorting Reynolds' body to his final resting place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Due to his intimate association with Reynolds, Rosengarten was also chosen to deliver the address at the dedication of Reynolds' monument at Gettysburg in 1889. Rosengarten was an active member of the American Philosophical Society. He contributed translations of Hessian soldier Stephan Popp's Revolutionary War diary and Achenwall's Observations on North America to a paper, "American History from German Archives," published in the Society's Proceedings for 1900. Through his association with Henry C. Carey, Rosengarten became interested in social science, and was active in the establishment of the American Social Science Association, which later became the American Academy of Political and Social Science.