Men-at-Arms

German Troops in the

American Revolution (2)
Hannover, Braunschweig, Hessen-Hanau, Waldeck,
Ansbach-Bayreuth, and Anhalt-Zerbst

Robbie MacNiven • Illustrated by Marco Capparoni

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3

HANNOVER 5
• Organization and deployment – Service history – Uniforms
and personal equipment

BRAUNSCHWEIG-WOLFENBÜTTEL 10
• Organization and deployment – Service history – Uniforms
and personal equipment – Colors

HESSEN-HANAU 19
• Organization and deployment – Service history – Uniforms
and personal equipment – Colors

WALDECK 33
• Organization and deployment – Service history – Uniforms
and personal equipment

ANSBACH-BAYREUTH 37
• Organization and deployment – Service history – Uniforms
and personal equipment – Colors

ANHALT-ZERBST 40
• Organization and deployment – Service history – Uniforms
and personal equipment – Colors

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 44

PLATE COMMENTARIES 44

INDEX 48
Men‑at‑Arms • 543

German Troops in the

American Revolution (2)
Hannover, Braunschweig, Hessen-Hanau,
Waldeck, Ansbach-Bayreuth, and Anhalt-Zerbst

Robbie MacNiven • Illustrated by Marco Capparoni

Series editors Mar tin Windrow & Nick Reynolds
 GERMAN TROOPS IN THE
AMERICAN REVOLUTION (2)
HANNOVER, BRAUNSCHWEIG, HESSEN-HANAU, WALDECK,
ANSBACH-BAYREUTH, AND ANHALT-ZERBST

INTRODUCTION

W
hile unrest had been building in Britain’s American colonies
throughout the 1760s, the scale of the armed rebellion in 1775 at
what marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War
(1775–83) still caught both King George III and the British parliament
by surprise. It would take time to recruit and deploy sufficient numbers
of fully trained soldiers to quash the revolution, time that Britain did not
have. As an expedient, military planners turned to a solution that had
served them well in the past – hiring soldiers from allied German states.
During the 18th century Germany was not yet a unified nation, and
in order to keep their independence most of the plethora of states that
constituted the region were required to maintain standing armies. This
came with a heavy financial burden, and consequently the princes of
German territories were happy to sign treaties with larger powers whereby
they would provide military assistance in exchange for large financial
reimbursements. In this way, each state was able to maintain its own army
while relieving the financial burden of doing so, and its soldiers gained
potentially valuable combat experience abroad.

Unidentified German troops in

British service assemble before
embarkation for North America.
(Prisma/UIG/Getty Images) 3
 This engraving by Franz Xavier
Habermann (1721–96) depicts
British and German troops in
New York, September 1776.
(MPI/Getty Images)

This spontoon brought to North

America appears to bear the
monogram of Frederick II of
Prussia, whose formidable All of Europe’s major powers hired what later became known as
army was the model for many
Subsidientruppen, or subsidy troops, from German states, though Britain
of the German states whose
troops fought in the American
was arguably their most consistent employer. This was partly due to
Revolutionary War. (Met Museum/ the close links between Britain’s monarchy and the German state of
CC0/Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913) Hannover, and partly because the financial requirements of having a
strong navy coupled with the public’s distrust of a standing army meant
Britain’s own land forces tended to be limited in size.
It is therefore unsurprising that Britain sought to augment its
manpower at the outbreak of the war by turning once more to the
German states for aid. Britain was Hessen-Cassel’s most regular client,
and because that particular state provided the largest single armed
contingent, “Hessian” became shorthand for any German troops hired
by the British. In reality, however, only a little over one-half of the subsidy
troops who fought during the war hailed from Hessen-Cassel or its
neighbor, Hessen-Hanau. Five other states – Hannover, Braunschweig-
Wolfenbüttel, Waldeck, Ansbach-Bayreuth, and Anhalt-Zerbst – also sent
Britain military assistance by way of auxiliary corps.
Hannover was the first to do so, deploying five battalions of infantry
to the Mediterranean in late 1775 and sending two more to India near
the close of the war. British negotiators, particularly the British Army
officer assigned to liaise with the authorities of the German states,
Colonel William Faucitt (also Fawcett), worked to secure further aid.
Braunschweig followed Hannover on January 9, 1776, signing a treaty
that provided a corps of a little over 4,000 men, after Hessen-Cassel’s
the second-largest German contingent of the war. Hessen-Cassel
signed on January 15, 1776, followed by its neighbor, Hessen-Hanau,
on February 5, 1776, Waldeck on April 20, 1776, Ansbach-Bayreuth
on February 1, 1777, and finally Anhalt-Zerbst in October 1777. In
total, German states other than Hessen-Cassel provided around 15,000
troops for British service over the course of the American Revolutionary
War, including light infantry, cavalry, and artillery, and played vital
roles in campaigns such as Saratoga (September 19 and October 7,
1777) and the siege of Gibraltar ( June 24, 1779–February 7, 1783).
Without their involvement, Britain’s war effort would have been
4 significantly weakened.
HANNOVER
Britain’s 1701 Act of Settlement specified that if King William III or his
expected successor, the soon-to-be Queen Anne, failed to produce any
heirs, the royal lineage would pass to Anne’s second cousin, Sophia,
Kurfürstin (Electress) of Hannover, thus ensuring the Protestant
succession. Sophia died in May 1714, however, and Anne likewise
passed away that August, ensuring that Sophia’s son George Louis
became George I of Great Britain and Ireland on August 1, 1714. While
assuming his new duties as king of Britain, George did not give up his
preexisting role as Elector of Hannover. The German state – itself part of
the wider Holy Roman Empire – therefore became closely aligned with
Great Britain.
Hanoverian soldiers were deployed to Britain in 1715 during the
Jacobite rising in Scotland, and the War of the Austrian Succession
(1740–48) saw large numbers of British and Hanoverian troops fighting
side-by-side as part of the Pragmatic Army, for a while under the direct
command of George II. During the Seven Years’ War (1756–63),
Hanoverian regiments again arrived in Britain to guard against the
threat of a French landing in 1756. George II, fearing that Hannover Hanoverian Major-General August
would itself be invaded by France, formed an alliance with Frederick II de la Motte. A Seven Years’ War
of Prussia, widening the scope of the conflict. The French did indeed veteran, de la Motte served
attack Hannover in 1757, occupying it briefly after their victory at the during the siege of Gibraltar,
initially as a colonel in command
battle of Hastenbeck ( July 26, 1757). The French forces were, however,
of the three Hanoverian
compelled to withdraw the next year. Hanoverian and British troops battalions that formed a vital
continued to serve together with the Army of Observation in the part of the garrison. (The History
European theater for the duration of the Seven Years’ War. Collection/Alamy Stock Photo)
Much like Hessen-Cassel, Hannover thus
had a history of close military relations
with Britain prior to the commencement
of the American Revolutionary War. This
made it a prime candidate when, in 1775,
Britain realized that manpower shortages
would force it to look for foreign assistance
in suppressing the rebelling American
colonies. Some Members of Parliament
requested that George III use his influence
as the Elector of Hannover to requisition
reinforcements. This was a politically risky
maneuver, however, as Parliament as a
whole had not approved the use of what
detractors called foreign mercenaries,
and some sections of public opinion were
firmly against the idea of sending German
soldiers to fight British subjects, even if
those subjects were in open rebellion.
Regardless of this, George III wrote
to Field Marshal August Friedrich
von Spörcken, the commander of the
Hanoverian Army and a Seven Years’ War
veteran, and worked out a contribution
toward the British war effort. 5
 Organization and deployment
At the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a standard Hanoverian
line-infantry regiment consisted of two battalions, each of six companies.
Five of these were musketeer companies each composed of 75 officers
and men, while the sixth was a larger grenadier company of 85 officers
and men. With an additional staff of 13 officers and noncommissioned
officers, a single battalion consisted on paper of 473 officers and men.
Two women were also allowed on the official establishment.
Unlike the British Army, Hanoverian regiments were still identified by
the name of their Inhaber (colonel-in-chief) rather than using a numerical
sequence, though numbers were introduced in 1783. This could
potentially cause some confusion when the colonel-in-chief changed,
thereby technically changing the name of a regiment, potentially mid-
campaign. Further complexity was added by the fact that there were
BELOW LEFT three levels of senior regimental officer, with the colonel-in-chief at the
Lieutenant-Colonel Gustav pinnacle, followed by a commander, and then lastly a field commander
Friedrich von Dachenhausen, (usually a lieutenant-colonel, or major), this last being the individual
who commanded the
who actually traveled with the regiment on campaign and oversaw its
1st Battalion of the Hanoverian
Regiment de la Motte during the
day-to-day business both in and out of action.
siege of Gibraltar. (VTR/Alamy The British plan for the Hanoverian regiments was to use them as
Stock Photo) garrison troops for the strategic Mediterranean holdings of Gibraltar
and Minorca. A number of the British infantry regiments stationed there
BELOW RIGHT could then be freed for use further overseas, including in North America,
Colonel Ernst August von Hugo the Caribbean, and India. In 1775 the British 1st, 2nd, and 69th regiments
and Lieutenant-Colonel Bernhard of Foot were instructed to return to Britain from Gibraltar, while part of
Wilhelm von Schlepegrell, senior
the Minorca garrison consisting of the 13th and 25th regiments of Foot
Hanoverian officers during the
siege of Gibraltar. (Harvard Art
were to do likewise. Five Hanoverian battalions – one each from five
Museums 1942.180/Wikimedia/ separate regiments – were assigned to be their replacements, three for
Public Domain) Gibraltar and two for Minorca (Dornfest 1983: 58).

6
 The first battalion of the
Gibraltar Brigade was the 1st
Battalion, Infanterie-Regiment
von Reden (later the 3. Infanterie-
Regiment). Lieutenant-General
Johann Wilhelm von Reden was
the colonel-in-chief and Colonel
Ernst Wilhelm von Friesenhausen
was the commander. The field
commander was Lieutenant-Colonel
Johann Gottfried von Walthausen
until his death by drowning
on November 13, 1775, and
subsequently Lieutenant-Colonel
Gustav Friedrich von Dachenhausen.
The second battalion of the
Gibraltar Brigade was the 1st
Battalion, Infanterie-Regiment de
la Motte (later the 5. Infanterie-Regiment). Colonel August de la Motte The Siege of Gibraltar, 1782
was the colonel-in-chief and also the commander, while Major Bernhard by George Carter (1734–94).
During the siege Hanoverian
Wilhelm von Schlepegrell was the field commander.
officers played senior roles in the
The third battalion of the Gibraltar Brigade was the 1st Battalion, defense of the fortress. Promoted
Infanterie-Regiment von Hardenberg (later the 6. Infanterie-Regiment). from colonel to major-general
Field Marshal Christian Ludwig von Hardenberg was the colonel-in-chief and then lieutenant-general, the
until his death on 26 November 1781, when he was succeeded by Major- Hanoverian August de la Motte
served as third-in-command
General Heinrich Bernhard von Sydow. Lieutenant-Colonel Georg
of the entire garrison. (Art
Wilhelm von dem Bussche was both the commander and also the field Collection 2/Alamy Stock Photo)
commander until he returned to Hannover in 1776, being replaced as
field commander by Lieutenant-Colonel Ernst August von Hugo.
The first battalion of the Minorca Brigade was the 2nd Battalion,
Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Ernst (later the 8. Infanterie-Regiment).
Major-General Ernst Gottlob Albrecht, Duke of Mecklenburg, was the
colonel-in-chief, while Lieutenant-Colonel Johann Wilhelm von Linsing
was both the commander and the field commander.
The second battalion of the Minorca Brigade was the 2nd Battalion,
Infanterie-Regiment von Goldacker (later the 11. Infanterie-Regiment).
Major-General Burchard Rudolph von Goldacker was the colonel-in-chief,
while Colonel Heinrich Bernhard von Sydow was both the commander
and the field commander until his promotion to major-general in 1778,
at which time Major Friedrich Christian von Hager replaced him as
field commander.
While the Hanoverian service in the Mediterranean is the best-known
element of their contribution toward the British war effort during
the American Revolutionary War, it was not the only one. Owing to
increasing pressures in India, the East India Company successfully
petitioned an initially reluctant George III to use his position as Elector
of Hannover to have reinforcements sent from Germany. The king gave
instructions to the Minister for Electorate Affairs, Johann Friedrich
Karl von Alvensleben, to raise a new Hanoverian regiment for service in
India. It was to consist of two battalions, each made up of one grenadier,
one light, and eight fusilier companies. Each company was to consist
of one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, three sergeants, one clerk, 7
 four corporals, two drummers, 12 lance-corporals, and 74 privates.
The regimental staff consisted of one lieutenant-colonel, one major,
one captain-lieutenant (commanding the colonel’s company), one
adjutant-major, one adjutant, one judge, one chaplain, one surgeon,
two cadets, five surgeon’s mates, one drum-major, four musicians, one
armorer, and one provost. The force would also include two cannon
per battalion, operated by an additional sergeant, two corporals, and 12
gunners per piece (Decurion 1937: 206).
The agreement between Hannover and the East India Company was
signed on September 7, 1781. Initially, the regiment was set to serve the
company for seven years, and though its recruits were to be drawn from
Hannover and the neighboring states, it was stipulated that foreigners
were to be the primary focus of the recruiting drive. Despite this, the
final makeup of the regiment was a largely even split between men from
Hannover and those from elsewhere.
Not long before departing to India, the force was reorganized from
one regiment of two battalions to two regiments of one battalion each.
Unlike other Hanoverian infantry regiments in 1781, these were given
numerical designations, 15 and 16, but when the rest of the Army
adopted a numbered system in 1783 they were redesignated as the 14.
and 15. Infanterie-Regimenter. Unlike the battalions serving at Gibraltar
and Minorca, both of the regiments sent to India combined the roles
of colonel-in-chief, commander, and field commander in one person:
the 15. Infanterie-Regiment was commanded by Colonel Carl Ludwig
Reinbold and the 16. Infanterie-Regiment by Lieutenant-Colonel August
von Wangenheim.

Service history
The fortunes of the Hanoverian regiments during the American
Revolutionary War were mixed. The Gibraltar garrison became embroiled
in the longest siege in British history when a Franco-Spanish force invested
Gibraltar by both land and sea in June 1779. The Hanoverian troops
served well, and the senior Hanoverian officer, Colonel de la Motte, also
acted as third-in-command of the entire garrison. The Franco-Spanish
efforts were eventually defeated and the siege lifted in February 1783.
The three Hanoverian regiments returned home in September 1784 to
public acclaim. “Gibraltar” was awarded to them as a battle honor, and
the name continued to be worn on uniform cuffs by their antecedent
regiments in the Imperial German Army through to World War I.
The Minorca garrison’s fate was less illustrious. Like Gibraltar, the
island was attacked by a Franco-Spanish force, this time in August 1781.
The British and Hanoverian defenders concentrated at St. Philip’s Castle,
which held out again multiple assaults and a powerful bombardment for
five months before surrendering. The Prinz Ernst and von Goldacker
regiments marched into captivity, and were released at the end of the
war. They performed garrison duties in Plymouth before returning home
in June 1784.
The regiments deployed to India spent the longest length of time in
British service. They sailed in several detachments to Madras, arriving
in time to see combat during the Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–84).
They were present at a number of engagements, including the siege
8 of Cuddalore ( June–July 1783), where they served well but suffered
significant casualties. News of a preliminary peace ended the siege,
and the Hanoverians continued to serve the East India Company in
minor conflicts for the rest of the decade. The 15. Infanterie-Regiment
(formerly numbered 16) eventually returned home in 1791 and the
14. Infanterie-Regiment (formerly numbered 15) in 1792. When
including reinforcements sent intermittently from Hannover, it is
estimated that around 3,000 Hanoverians served in India over this period
(Dornfest 1983: 61).

Uniforms and personal equipment

Hanoverian infantry uniforms were very similar to British ones, most
notably in the use of what became known as madder red for the coloration
of the enlisted men’s coats and scarlet for the officers. Like the British, the
Hanoverians also used facing colors to differentiate between regiments,
but some also used the coloration of shoulder straps. Hanoverian
officers wore yellow waist sashes, rather than the crimson ones used by
the British, and silver lace in line-infantry regiments, gold lace being
reserved for officers of the Garde-Regiment. The battalions serving at
Gibraltar and Minorca were marked by the following distinctions: von
Reden, black facings, white vest and breeches, white shoulder straps; de
la Motte, lemon-yellow facings, white vest and breeches, red shoulder
straps; von Hardenberg/von Sydow, straw facings, vest, breeches, and
shoulder straps; Prinz Ernst, white facings, vest, and breeches, red
shoulder straps; von Goldacker, black facings, straw vest and breeches, Though this 1793 artwork of a
red shoulder straps. Hanoverian officer postdates
the American Revolutionary
Colonel H.A. de Scheiter suggested the following uniform, arms, and
War, it shows the influence
equipment for the Hanoverian force to be sent to India in 1781, which British uniforms had on the
was approved by the king. Each man would receive one scarlet coat with Hanoverian military. (Anne S.K.
green facings, its lining straw-colored, with yellow buttons, the sergeant’s Brown Military Collection, Brown
of fine cloth with a sash. After the regiment of two battalions was split University Library)
into two regiments of one battalion each, slight adjustments were made
to differentiate them by giving the 15. Infanterie-Regiment green
shoulder straps, and the 16. Infanterie-Regiment red shoulder straps.
The uniform coat was accompanied by one vest and white breeches of
the same cloth; one pair of linen trousers and black half spatterdashes;
one pair of worsted stockings, shoes, and black, full-length gaiters.
Each man also received a black stock and a string for tying the hair.
Equipment included a leather haversack, a belt with a saber, a belt
for a cartridge box, a musket and a bayonet. Each noncommissioned
officer would also receive a halberd and the grenadiers fur caps, and
the whole regiment would have four pairs of colors and 40 camp colors
(Decurion 1937: 206).
The weaponry issued to the Hanoverian regiments was manufactured
at the Königliche Gewehrfabrik at Herzberg am Harz (Moller 2011a:
419). Hanoverian muskets such as the Modell 1766 or 1767 differed by
the style of the lock plates and variation in the ramrods, which were
changed to a cylindrical-headed pattern in 1778. Barrels were marked
with a fir-tree motif, the mark of the Hanoverian inspector Gottfried
Sigismund Tanner. The locks of Hanoverian muskets were engraved with
the “GR” cipher of George III in his role as Elector of Hannover, with
the same symbol repeated on Hanoverian polearms and colors (Moller
2011a: 14–15). 9
 BRAUNSCHWEIG-WOLFENBÜTTEL
With a population of approximately 150,000 during the revolutionary
period, the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel – distinct from
Braunschweig-Lüneburg, also known as Hannover – possessed close
ties to the British monarchy. The duchy’s heir, Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand,
was married to King George III’s sister, Princess Augusta Frederica,
while neighboring Hannover was ruled by George in his role as that
state’s elector. These ties combined with the duchy’s heavy debts meant
Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel was the first German state after Hannover
to sign a military agreement with Britain. A treaty was ratified on
January 9, 1776, whereby Braunschweig would send a corps consisting
of four line-infantry regiments, one grenadier battalion, one dragoon
regiment, and one light battalion – including a Jäger company – for
service with the British, a total of over 4,000 men. After Hessen-Cassel,
Painted by Anna Rosina de Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel therefore provided the most troops to the
Gasc (1713–83), this portrait British crown over the course of the American Revolutionary War.
of the ruler of Braunschweig-
Wolfenbüttel, Duke Karl I,
dates from 1779. The relatively
Organization and deployment
unostentatious uniform gives an In 1776 the two Braunschweig line-infantry regiments, Prinz Friedrich
indication of the cut and style of and von Rhetz, each had their two battalions reorganized into four single-
Braunschweig uniforms, with its battalion regiments. The first battalions of Prinz Friedrich and von Rhetz
lack of lace and split-sided cuffs.
remained, while the former second battalion of Prinz Friedrich became
(The History Collection/Alamy
Stock Photo)
the Infanterie-Regiment Riedesel, and the former second battalion of von
Rhetz became Infanterie-Regiment Specht. The grenadier companies
from each of these four regiments were detached to form a composite
grenadier battalion, von Breymann, consisting of four companies.
On paper, each of the four infantry regiments had five musketeer
companies, each consisting of four officers, five sergeants, seven
corporals, 105 privates, and three drummers, along with four officers’
servants, a surgeon, and a clerk. There was also a regimental staff of seven
officers and 18 other ranks.
Lieutenant-General Prinz Friedrich August was the colonel-in-chief
of Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Friedrich; the commander was Major-
General Eckhard Heinrich von Stammer, while the field commander was
Lieutenant-Colonel Christian J. Prätorius.
Major-General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel was the colonel-in-chief of
Infanterie-Regiment Riedesel, while Lieutenant-Colonel Ernst Ludwig
Wilhelm von Speth was both the commander and the field commander.
Colonel Johann Friedrich Specht was the colonel-in-chief of Infanterie-
Regiment Specht, while Major Carl Friedrich von Ehrenkrook was both
the commander and the field commander.
Major-General August Wilhelm von Rhetz was the colonel-in-chief
of Infanterie-Regiment von Rhetz; the unit’s field commander was
Lieutenant-Colonel Johann Gustav von Ehrenkrook, though he remained
in Canada during Major-General John Burgoyne’s 1777 campaign along
the Hudson River, during which the regiment was commanded in combat
by Major Balthasar Bogislaus von Lucke.
Grenadier-Bataillon von Breymann’s four companies each consisted of
four officers and 135 other ranks, plus a battalion staff of three officers
and five other ranks, for a combined battalion strength of 19 officers
10 and 545 other ranks. The unit was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
 FAR LEFT
A soldier of Dragoner-Regiment
Prinz Ludwig. The only cavalry
regiment deployed to North
America by any German
state during the American
Revolutionary War, Dragoner-
Regiment Prinz Ludwig arrived in
Canada expecting to be supplied
with horses, but never received
enough to be fully mounted.
Consequently, most of the
regiment’s personnel operated
as infantry. (Staatsarchiv
Braunschweig H VI 6 Nr. 27)

LEFT
A dragoon of Dragoner-Regiment
Prinz Ludwig. (Anne S.K. Brown
Military Collection, Brown
University Library)

The basket-hilted broadsword,

or Pallasch, and scabbard of a
dragoon from Dragoner-Regiment
Prinz Ludwig, captured at the
Heinrich von Breymann until his death at the battle of Bemis Heights battle of Bennington. In an
(October 7, 1777), whereupon it was led by Major (later Lieutenant- attempt to break out from the
rebel encirclement during the
Colonel) Otto C.A. von Mengen.
battle, the dragoons drew their
The one Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel cavalry regiment sent to North swords and charged, but failed to
America, Dragoner-Regiment Prinz Ludwig, consisted on paper of a cut their way free. (Military and
staff of eight officers and 16 other ranks overseeing four troops, each Historical Images Bank)
consisting of three officers and 75 enlisted men and noncommissioned
officers, giving a total regimental strength of 20 officers and 316 other
ranks. The regiment sailed to North America without horses, expecting
to be assigned or to collect mounts upon arriving in Canada, but there
were never enough for the whole regiment to be mounted. Prinz Ludwig
Ernst was the regiment’s colonel-in-chief; its commander was Colonel
Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, while its field commander was Lieutenant-
Colonel Friedrich Baum until his death on August 18, 1777, two days
after the battle of Bennington, and thereafter Major J.C. von Meibom.
It should be noted that besides Riedesel, none of the colonels-in-chief
mentioned above served in North America (Haarmann 1970: 140–43).
The final Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel unit sent to North America in
1776 was Leichtes Infanterie-Bataillon von Barner. Commanded by Major
Ferdinand Albrecht von Barner, it consisted of one Jäger company of four
officers and 143 other ranks, and four light-infantry companies each of
four officers and 121 other ranks. Along with a battalion staff of four
officers and seven other ranks, the battalion had a combined total of 24
officers and 634 other ranks. It seems as though the purpose of the four
light-infantry companies was to provide formed support, with muskets
and bayonets, for the Jäger company to operate alongside and fall back
on, rather than fighting in a purely light-infantry capacity, as composite
British light-infantry battalions tended to do. 11
 Before setting out from their homeland in early 1776, the Braunschweig
contingent was divided into two divisions, both totaling around 2,000
men. The first, slightly larger division left on February 22, 1776,
marching roughly 100 miles to Stade near the mouth of the Elbe River,
which they reached on March 5. There, under the directions of Colonel
William Faucitt, they took their new oath of allegiance and embarked
on transports, setting sail for Britain on March 18. They arrived at
Portsmouth on March 28, joining a larger British fleet – including the
Hessen-Hanau corps – which departed on April 3, and arrived in Québec
on June 1. The second Braunschweig division followed the first in late
May 1776.
In 1778, a new Braunschweig infantry regiment, von Ehrenkrook,
was created under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Johann Gustav
von Ehrenkrook. It was an ad hoc formation composed of one battalion
manned by invalids and detachments that had avoided the defeat of the
majority of the Braunschweig corps during the Saratoga campaign, as
well as escapees and exchanged prisoners, alongside Leichtes Infanterie-
Bataillon von Barner, which had not been present at Saratoga.

Service history
Commanded by Major-General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, the
Braunschweig regiments were initially employed in mopping up
revolutionary forces in the wake of the Patriots’ failed invasion of Canada
in late 1775. From June 7, 1776, not long after arriving at Québec on
June 1, Riedesel led Grenadier-Bataillon von Breymann and detachments
of British, Loyalist, Native American, and Hessen-Hanau troops along the
south bank of the St. Lawrence River in order to relieve Montréal.

RIGHT
Unlike the other Braunschweig
infantry regiments, Infanterie-
Regiment Prinz Friedrich
was considered a “garrison
regiment,” a lower-quality unit
that was tasked with defending
Fort Ticonderoga after it was
taken by Crown Forces. This
ensured the regiment avoided the
defeat at Saratoga. (Staatsarchiv
Braunschweig H VI 6 Nr. 27)

FAR RIGHT
A musketeer of Infanterie-
Regiment Riedesel. Formed
initially from the second battalion
of Infanterie-Regiment Prinz
Friedrich, Infanterie-Regiment
Riedesel was nominally led by the
commander of the Braunschweig
detachment, but in the field was
under the orders of Lieutenant-
Colonel Ernst von Speth.
(Staatsarchiv Braunschweig
12 H VI 6 Nr. 27)
 The Braunschweig regiments played an important role in Burgoyne’s ABOVE LEFT
campaign of 1777. Beforehand, Riedesel noted with apparent A grenadier of Infanterie-
Regiment Prinz Friedrich. The
dissatisfaction that the British were asking him to adopt a number of
collar and cuffs are colored red,
the tactical changes they had already implemented for fighting in North seemingly in error. (Anne S.K.
America. In a letter to the Duke of Braunschweig, Riedesel wrote about Brown Military Collection, Brown
what he called the French method of forming lines at open or extended University Library)
order, and mentioned teaching his troops how to operate in wooded
terrain (Eelkin 1893: 271). Unlike the commanders of a number of other
ABOVE RIGHT
German states, notably Hessen-Cassel, Riedesel was permitted by his ruler A grenadier of Infanterie-
to introduce tactical changes to address the difficulties of fighting in Regiment Riedesel. Again, the
North America. facing are red, rather than the
Riedesel seems to have had some success in implementing these yellow normally associated
with this unit. (Anne S.K. Brown
changes prior to the commencement of the 1777 campaign. In his journal
Military Collection, Brown
he describes the loose, rapid method of fire and maneuver adopted by University Library)
his Braunschweig troops:

As soon as the first line has jumped into the supposed ditch, the
command ‘fire’ is given, when the first line fires, reloads its guns,
gets up out of the ditch, and hides behind a tree, rock, shrub or
whatever is at hand, at the same time firing off four cartridges in
such a manner that the line is kept as straight as possible. As soon
as the first line has fired off the four cartridges, the second line
advances and fires off the same number in the same manner. While
this is taking place, the woods have been thoroughly ransacked by
the sharp shooters who have thus become familiar with every part
of it. (Quoted in Eelkin 1868: 64) 13
 In a general order to the Braunschweig corps on August 26, 1777,
Riedesel reiterated the importance of using cover and dispersed methods
of fighting in wooded terrain, juxtaposed with the more traditional
close-order drill in two or three ranks in the open.
Part of the Braunschweig corps was engaged at the battle of Hubbardton
(July 7, 1777), and at Bennington. At the latter, most of the Dragoner-
Regiment Prinz Ludwig was lost, and its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel
Friederich Baum, was mortally wounded. At the battle of Freeman’s Farm
(September 19, 1777), Riedesel’s forces, ordered to guard the baggage
train, advanced into action in time to save Burgoyne’s main body. A few
weeks later, on October 7, the battle of Bemis Height – the decisive action
of the Saratoga campaign – closed with the rebels’ capture of a redoubt
held by Grenadier-Bataillon von Breymann. Seemingly, Breymann was
killed by his own men when he began lashing out at them with his sword
in response to their perceived cowardice.
With defeat at Saratoga, most of the Braunschweig corps marched
into captivity as part of the so-called Convention Army. Riedesel was
transferred as part of a prisoner exchange in time to command troops
again in New York and then Canada before the end of the American
Revolutionary War, though he did not see action. Some elements of
the Braunschweig corps had avoided the Saratoga disaster, namely
Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Friedrich, which had been left behind to
garrison Fort Ticonderoga, and most of Leichtes Infanterie-Bataillon
von Barner, which was incorporated into the new Infanterie-Regiment
von Ehrenkrook. None of these, however, saw significant action during
the rest of the war.
At the end of the conflict, the Duke of Braunschweig encouraged
those who wished to leave his army and remain living in North America
to do so, an act that would aid his own demobilization efforts and remove
the financial and social burden of soldiers returning home.

Uniforms and personal equipment

All Braunschweig infantrymen, bar the Jäger of Leichtes Infanterie-
Bataillon von Barner who wore green, wore dark-blue Prussian-style

Two views of a cap belonging to a

grenadier of Infanterie-Regiment
Specht. The brass-plated front
bears the Braunschweig cipher
and the crest of a running
horse. (Military and Historical
14 Images Bank)
 FAR LEFT
A musketeer of Infanterie-
Regiment Specht. While blue
coats with red facings was far
from the universal uniform of the
Continental Army, there were a
number of incidents throughout
the American Revolutionary War
that saw German regiments,
attired such as Infanterie-
Regiment Specht, being mistaken
for Continentals, or vice versa.
(Staatsarchiv Braunschweig
H VI 6 Nr. 27)

LEFT
A musketeer of Infanterie-
Regiment von Rhetz. Alongside
the Riedesel and Specht
regiments, von Rhetz was
heavily involved in the 1777
Saratoga campaign. (Staatsarchiv
Braunschweig H VI 6 Nr. 27)

regimental coats with red lining; only musicians wore lace. The coat
had a single shoulder strap on the wearer’s left, set behind the shoulder,
to support the cartridge-box belt. Musketeers and light infantrymen
wore a white-laced cocked hat with unit-specific cords and a tassel and
pompon, while the Jäger wore an unlaced cocked hat and the grenadiers
a metal-fronted miter. Vests and breeches were white, the latter worn
with knee-high black gaiters. It should be noted that in 1777, much of
the Braunschweig corps – except the dragoons and Jäger – replaced
their breeches and gaiters with gaitered trousers, mostly made from old
sailcloth and British tents, some of which were striped. It should also be
noted that, contrary to popular myths, the Braunschweig dragoons did
not attempt to wear their heavy riding boots while serving as infantry.
Braunschweig officers were distinguished by silver- and gold-striped
waist sashes, hat lace that was silver or gold depending on the color of
the particular regimental buttons (silver matching with pewter or “white”
buttons and gold with brass or “yellow” buttons), as well as gorgets
bearing the running white horse insignia of Braunschweig. Turning
to NCOs, Braunschweig infantry sergeants likewise had distinguishing
silver- or gold-laced hats, black-and-white hat cords and pompoms, and
carried a cane – used for corporal punishment – hooked over the second-
from-top button on the right of the coat’s front. Corporals were signified
by white lace around their cuff buttons.
In terms of regimental distinctions, Infanterie-Regiment Prinz
Friedrich’s coats had yellow collars and cuffs, but were without lapels. 15
 Eight white buttons were evenly spaced down either side of the coat’s
front, with two more on each cuff. Cocked hats had yellow-and-white
cords and a tassel and pompom, which was yellow with a circular white
center. Musicians wore yellow coats with light-blue facings and red lining.
Drummers’ coats were trimmed with white and yellow lace, while the
drum-major and hautboys had silver lace on their hats.
Infanterie-Regiment Riedesel wore yellow facings. Buttons were white
and those on the coat’s lapels were spaced in a sequence of 1-2-1 on both
sides, plus two buttons on each cuff. Cocked hats had yellow-and-white
cords, and a yellow-and-white pompom. Musicians wore yellow coats with
light-blue facings and red lining. Hautboys had silver lace on their cocked
hats, and drummers’ coats were trimmed with white and yellow lace.
Infanterie-Regiment Specht wore red facings. Buttons were yellow,
and those on the coat’s lapels were spaced in a sequence of 1-2-1 on
both sides, plus two buttons on each cuff. Cocked hats had red-and-white
cords and a red-and-white pompom. Musicians wore yellow coats with red
facings and red lining. Drummers’ coats were trimmed with lace, color
unspecified, though it was probably white, along with 26 tassels.
Infanterie-Regiment von Rhetz wore white facings. Buttons were
yellow, and those on the coat’s lapels were spaced in a sequence of 1-2-1
on both sides, plus two buttons on each cuff. Cocked hats had red cords
and a red pompom. Musicians wore yellow coats with white facings and
red lining. The drum-major and hautboys’ coats had silver lace and 26
tassels, the drummers similarly attired but likely less expensively.

RIGHT
A musketeer of Leichtes
Infanterie-Bataillon von Barner.
The musketeers of this unit
were equipped like regular
Braunschweig infantry, with
smoothbore muskets and
bayonets. Their purpose was
to provide close support for
the riflemen who, due to
their slow-loading weapons,
were vulnerable to sudden
enemy assaults. (Staatsarchiv
Braunschweig H VI 6 Nr. 27)

FAR RIGHT
A Braunschweig Jäger. While
theoretically part of Leichtes
Infanterie-Bataillon von
Barner, the Braunschweig
Jäger company, commanded
by Captain Carl Geisau, often
operated separately and on its
own initiative. (Staatsarchiv
16 Braunschweig H VI 6 Nr. 27)
 The uniforms of Grenadier-Bataillon von Breymann mirrored those ABOVE LEFT
of whichever parent regiment each grenadier company had come Braunschweig Jäger. Note that
his green uniform seems almost
from. Grenadier headwear consisted of a tall Prussian-style cap with a
brown – one British commentator
metal-plate front, cloth backing, and wool pompom. The color of the described how green coats put
cloth backing matched the regimental facing colors, the metal plate on in the spring would fade to
matched the buttons (white or yellow), and the pompom matched those brown with the autumn. (Anne
sported by the musketeer companies of the regiment. White piping S.K. Brown Military Collection,
Brown University Library)
decorated the cloth backing, apart from the von Rhetz company, whose
facings (and thus cap backing) were white – their piping was red.
Leichtes Infanterie-Bataillon von Barner’s Jäger wore green coats with ABOVE RIGHT
A soldier of the Braunschweig
red facings and green lining. Buttons were white, and those on the coat’s
artillery. (Anne S.K. Brown
lapels were spaced in a sequence of 1-2-1 on each side. Vests were green Military Collection, Brown
and breeches were buff, the latter worn with knee-high gray gaiters. University Library)
Cocked hats were unlaced and had a green cockade. The musketeers of
the battalion wore dark-blue Prussian-style coats like the other regiments,
with black collars and cuffs but no lapels, and red lining. There were 17
 eight evenly spaced yellow buttons on each side of the coat’s front, plus
two buttons on each cuff. The drummers wore yellow coats with black
facings and red lining, plus white, black, and yellow mixed lace – the
drum-major also had gold lace along with his white, black, and yellow
mixed lace.
Dragoner-Regiment Prinz Ludwig had a lighter blue coat with yellow
facings and lining, as well as a white aiguillette on the right shoulder.
Buttons were tin and arranged 1-2-1 on each lapel, plus two on each
cuff. Vests were yellow and breeches buff with knee-length black gaiters.
The cocked hat had a white plume, though for officers it was white-over-
yellow. Musicians wore yellow coats with light-blue facings and lining,
plus lace (Haarmann 1970: 140–43).
Accouterments for musketeers and grenadiers consisted of two leather
belts, one (featuring a match case for grenadiers) for a cartridge pouch,
Duke Karl II was the ruler of the other for a short sword. Unlike the British, many German troops
Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel after continued to wear one belt around the waist rather than over the right
his father’s death on March 26,
shoulder. A haversack and canteen completed the field equipment,
1780. Karl II and his father
permitted their troops more supplemented at times by a knapsack and blanket roll. The Jäger company
tactical leeway than the forces was also equipped with cartridge belly boxes.
of Hessen-Cassel. (Anne S.K. For arms, musketeers and grenadiers were equipped with a musket,
Brown Military Collection, Brown bayonet, and short sword, while the Jäger company carried German-
University Library)
manufactured rifles with sword-bayonets. It appears that most
Braunschweig muskets were from the Prussian Potsdam-Spandau
A spontoon carried by a
Braunschweig officer, bearing
manufactory, or were based on the Prussian pattern from the 1730s.
the cipher of the ruler, Duke Dragoons also carried a broadsword, the Pallasch. Infantry officers and
Karl I. Beneath it are the words sergeants carried polearms, the blades for officers engraved with the
NUNQUAM RETRORSUM, “never Braunschweig cipher and horse crest, though it is unclear whether they
backward,” the motto of the
continued to use these in North America or adopted fusils.
Hanoverian Order of St. George, of
which the ruler of Braunschweig-
Wolfenbüttel was a member. Colors
(INTERFOTO/Alamy Stock Photo) Braunschweig seems to have followed the Prussian system of each
infantry battalion having a single colonel’s color – the Leibfahne – plus
one regimental color – the Ordinärfahne – per company. The basic design
featured a running white horse on a red field in the center, surrounded
by a golden wreath and surmounted by a crown. Each of the flag’s sides
featured a flame design with a burning grenade in its center, with the
grenade’s fuse pointing toward the center. In the corners between the
flame designs were the golden ducal ciphers, wreaths, and crowns. The
colors of the flag and its flames varied depending on the regiment
and whether it was a colonel’s or regimental color. The colonel’s color
was always white but with yellow flames for Prinz Friedrich, yellow for
Riedesel, red for Specht, and blue or possibly green for von Rhetz.
The regimental flags of Prinz Friedrich were black with yellow flames,
for Riedesel yellow with blue flames, for Specht red with white flames,
and for von Rhetz blue or possibly green with white flames. Dragoner-
Regiment Prinz Ludwig also appear to have taken four guidons to North
America; these were light blue, swallow-tailed, and featured the white
horse on a red field, surrounded by a wreath and surmounted by a
crown, with the cipher and laurels in four corners. Famously, the flags of
the Braunschweig regiments were successfully smuggled out of Patriot
captivity following defeat at Saratoga in the mattress of Riedesel’s wife,
18 Charlotte von Massow.
HESSEN-HANAU
Hessen-Hanau came into being after the conversion of the future
ruler of Hessen-Cassel, Frederick II, to Roman Catholicism. Frederick’s
Protestant father, William VIII, wished to punish his son by reducing
the lands Frederick would inherit. He therefore gave the county of
Hanau-Münzenberg to Frederick’s oldest son, William, who was still a
Protestant. This secundogeniture created the quasi-independent state
of Hessen-Hanau, ruled now by Count William, who in turn remained
Frederick II’s heir and thus the hereditary prince of Hessen-Cassel.
Frederick II tried repeatedly to reunite Hessen in the face of his son’s
defiance, but to no avail. The two regions did not become one state again
until 1821.
British support for William was part of what maintained Hessen-
Hanau’s independence, and at the instructions of George II Hanoverian
soldiers occasionally helped garrison the region in defiance of pressure
from Hessen-Cassel. Count William’s mother – the wife of Frederick II
of Hessen-Cassel – was Princess Mary, the second-youngest daughter of
Britain’s George II. In August 1775, not long after news of the battle of
Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775) had reached Europe, Count William was the
first German hereditary prince to promise to provide military assistance to
Britain. Writing to George III, he initially offered a regiment free of charge,
and declared rather grandly that ‘all sons of the land which the protection
of your Majesty alone insures to me, and all are ready to sacrifice with me
their life and their blood for your service’ (quoted in Lowell 1884: 15).
Talks commenced between Colonel William Faucitt and the
Hessian Baron Friedrich von der Malsburg. A treaty was signed on
February 5, 1776, whereby Hessen-Hanau would provide an infantry
regiment of 668 men to serve the British crown, though despite William’s
initial claim, it would come at a price. This contingent was enlarged by
a further deal signed on April 25, 1776, that added an artillery company
of six guns, and again on February 10, 1777, when a corps of Jäger was
added. Lastly, a convention on January 15, 1781, added a unit described
as the Free Corps of Light Infantry, consisting of 830 men. This, along
with semiregular shipments of reinforcements to replace casualties in the
preexisting units, saw the contribution of Hessen-Hanau toward British
manpower over the course of the war reach 2,422 men. The final sum
paid to Hessen-Hanau by Britain amounted to £343,110.

Organization and deployment

The Hessen-Hanau infantry regiment, Erbprinz (not to be confused
with the Hessen-Cassel Regiment Erbprinz, though William was colonel-
in-chief of both), had first been raised in 1763. The contingent sent to
North America consisted on paper of one battalion organized into five
musketeer companies each of 109 men, a grenadier company of 111
men, and a regimental staff of 19 men. The musketeer companies each
consisted of one captain, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one
ensign, one sergeant-major, two sergeants, one quartermaster-sergeant,
one ordnance-sergeant, one color-bearer, three corporals, three
drummers, and 93 privates. The grenadier company was the same but with
no ensign, no color-bearer, two drummers, two second lieutenants, two
fifers, and 95 privates. The regimental staff consisted of one colonel, one 19
 lieutenant-colonel, one major, one judge, one regimental quartermaster,
one chaplain, one surgeon-major, three surgeons, one drum-major, six
hautboys, one provost, and one provost’s servant. The regiment’s colonel
was Wilhelm Rudolf von Gall.
The artillery company was commanded by Captain Georg Pausch, and
consisted of six officers and 128 men. The British were required to supply
the actual artillery pieces on campaign – these ultimately consisted of
four 6-pounders, two light 6-pounders, and two light 3-pounders. The
four light guns acted as battalion guns while the four 6-pounders formed
a battery under Pausch. They were all bronze guns, rather than iron.
The Jäger corps first raised in 1777 (frequently referred to as a chasseur
corps) was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Carl Adolf Christoph von
Creutzbourg. It initially consisted of four companies, with a fifth added
in 1778. Each company consisted on paper of one captain, one first
lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one sergeant-major, one sergeant, one
The spontoon of a Hessen-Hanau quartermaster-sergeant, one captain-of-arms, six corporals, one surgeon’s
officer carried during the 1777
mate, three buglers, 78 privates, and three officers’ servants – apart from
Saratoga campaign. On the blade
it bears the cipher “WL” for
the colonel’s company, which had one lieutenant and his servant more,
Wilhelm Landgraf. Some German and only 76 privates. The regimental staff consisted of a regimental
states, such as Braunschweig, surgeon, judge, quartermaster, adjutant, two armorers, one armorer’s
are thought to have abandoned assistant, five wagoners, and a provost.
the use of polearms in America,
The Free Corps of Light Infantry raised in 1781 consisted of five light-
but others, like Hessen-Hanau,
seem to have continued to use
infantry companies, one of which was armed with rifles. Each company
them in combat. (Military and consisted of three officers and 157 men, while the regimental staff
Historical Images Bank) was made up of one lieutenant-colonel, one major, one surgeon, one
paymaster and his assistant, one provost, and one gunsmith. They were
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Michael von Janecke.
The Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz set out in March 1776 and arrived
in Portsmouth on March 30. There they joined a fleet bound for Québec
that included the Braunschweig corps. They arrived in Québec on June 8
and were soon joined by Captain Pausch’s artillery company. The Jäger
corps set out on March 7, 1777 (the same day the Ansbach-Bayreuth
corps began their own journey into British service). The Atlantic crossing
proved difficult and they reached Québec in a scattered fashion, with only
one company arriving in time to participate in the campaigns of 1777.

Service history
The Hessen-Hanau corps provided notable service to the British over the
course of the American Revolutionary War. Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz
and the artillery joined the Braunschweig troops as part of Burgoyne’s
mid-1777 offensive from Canada down the Hudson River. Captain
Pausch’s artillery company was employed aboard British boats during the
battle of Valcour Island (October 11, 1776). Erbprinz’s colonel, Gall, was
promoted to brigadier-general and given command, besides Infanterie-
Regiment Erbprinz, of the Braunschweig Infanterie-Regiment Prinz
Friedrich, with the two combining to form the 2nd Brigade under the
Braunschweig officer Major-General Friedrich Adolph Riedesel during
the battles of Freeman’s Farm and Bemis Heights. With Burgoyne’s
defeat, Erbprinz and the artillery joined the so-called Convention Army
of prisoners. Much of Erbprinz was exchanged for Continental Army
prisoners in 1781, and the regiment was re-formed at Québec, which it
20 helped garrison until the end of the war.
 Both Hessen-Cassel and
Hessen-Hanau fielded an
Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz,
and the colonel-in-chief of
both, William, was the heir of
Hessen-Cassel and the ruler of
Hessen-Hanau respectively. The
Hessen-Cassel regiment was
until 1780 a fusilier unit wearing
miters, while the Hessen-Hanau
regiment wore distinctive looped
lace. (Staatsarchiv Braunschweig
H VI 6 Nr. 27)

The difficulties of the transatlantic crossing meant the Hessen-Hanau

Jäger did not participate with the main body of Burgoyne’s expedition,
but the first company to arrive was able to join a supporting operation in
upstate New York. Under First Lieutenant Jacob Hildebrand they played
an important role at the bloody battle of Oriskany (August 6, 1777), and
participated in the siege of Fort Stanwix (August 2–22, 1777). Afterward
they spent the rest of the war patrolling the Canadian frontier, with little
in the way of active fighting. 21
 The Free Corps of Light Infantry arrived at New York in 1781. It
remained as part of the New York garrison until the end of the war, then
returned home and was disbanded in July 1783.

Uniforms and personal equipment

Soldiers of Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz wore a dark-blue coat in the
Prussian style, with red facings and lining (some sources claim the facings
were pink, but this seems to have been a mistake). Buttons were white. The
six buttons on each coat lapel were arranged in three pairs, surrounded
by white lace in the “Brandenburg” style, looped in figure eights, with
tasseled ends. A seventh button with the same style of lace was worn below
each lapel, with another pair above each cuff, and a pair on each pocket.
Vests and breeches were straw-colored, with black full-length gaiters.
Neck stocks for all ranks were black. Musketeers wore cocked hats with
scalloped white lace, a red-and-yellow pompom, and a black cockade.
Grenadiers wore tall white metal-fronted caps with yellow backing cloth
and white piping, crowned by a red tuft topped by a yellow circle with a
red middle. Officers’ lace was silver, while their waist sashes were silver
with horizontal crimson stripes. Gorgets were silver and bore the red-
and-white-striped lion rampant of Hessen, armed with a sword, on a blue
background, along with the “WL” cipher of William Landgraf. Both
officers and sergeants wore white gauntlet-gloves.
Privates, corporals, and sergeants were equipped with whitened leather
belts to secure a black leather cartridge pouch on the right hip and a
short sword, plus attendant scabbards, on the left. The sword-belt was
most likely worn around the waist rather than over the right shoulder.
Linen haversacks, calfskin knapsacks, and canteens were also issued.
The sergeants were ostensibly each equipped with a halberd and
disciplinary cane, though it is unclear if these were taken into action.
Officers were equipped with spontoons bearing the “WL” cipher,
though again it is unknown if they swapped these for fusils in action.
Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz was partially equipped with muskets
from a procurement from the Pistor manufactory at Schmalkalden
by Hessen-Cassel, supplemented with firearms procured from
small-scale manufacturers.
Soldiers of the Hessen-Hanau artillery company wore dark-blue
Prussian-style coats with red facings and lining, white vests, and gaitered
trousers, possibly with red-and-white vertical stripes. They had black
cocked hats with white lace, black cockade, red pompom, and tasseled
cords. Officers had gold hat cords and wore silver sashes with red
horizontal stripes.
The Hessen-Hanau Jäger wore dark-green coats with red facings
and lining, plus dark-green vests and straw-colored breeches with full-
length, dark-brown gaiters. They had unlaced black cocked hats with
black cockades. Officers had silver sashes with red horizontal stripes.
Cartridge pouches and belly boxes were black leather, while belts were
brown leather. The Hessen-Hanau Jäger rifles were produced by the
Pistor manufactory.
The Free Corps of Light Infantry was uniformed in dark-green coats
without lapels, with red cuffs and collars. The rifle-armed company had
leather caps for headwear, while the rest had cocked hats (Haarmann &
22 Holst 1963: 40–42).
 Hessen-Hanau provided the most
artillery of any of the German
states outside of Hessen-Cassel,
with its artillery company
performing important service
during the Saratoga campaign.
(Staatsarchiv Braunschweig
H VI 6 Nr. 27)

Colors
Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz likely followed the Prussian tradition of one
color per company in each battalion, with the company commanded by
the colonel having a distinct flag. For Erbprinz, all of these were rose-pink
and without the “flame” designs featured on many other German states’
flags. The center was dominated by the red-and-white striped lion
rampant of Hessen-Hanau, which faced toward the flag staff, the opposite
direction to the red-and-white striped lion rampant of Hessen-Cassel. 23
 The Hessen-Hanau Jäger corps
largely avoided the debacle of
the Saratoga campaign, playing a
crucial role during the ferocious
woodland battle at Oriskany
(August 6, 1777). (Staatsarchiv
Braunschweig H VI 6 Nr. 27)

The Hanau lion lacked the crown borne by the Cassel lion, but wielded
a white sword in its left paw. It was surrounded by silver laurel wreaths
with red berries, and surmounted by a crown and motto, HASSORUM
GLORIA. On the colonel’s color, the lion was set against a large ducal
shield crest within a heraldic “mantle and pavilion,” surmounted by a
crown and flanked by two golden, crowned lions rampant. In the four
corners of both the colonel’s and company flags was the cipher of Count
24 William, flanked by silver laurels and surmounted by a crown.
(continued on page 33)
SENIOR COMMANDERS
1: Major-General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel
2: Colonel Johann Friedrich Specht
3: Colonel Wilhelm Rudolf von Gall

1 3

A
 HANNOVER
1: Lieutenant-General August de la Motte
2: Gibraltar medal 3
3: Officer, Regiment von Reden
4: Private, Regiment de la Motte

B
BRAUNSCHWEIG
1: Color-bearer, Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Friedrich
2: Private, Leichtes Infanterie-Bataillon von Barner
3: Private, Dragoner-Regiment Prinz Ludwig

2 3

C
 HESSEN-HANAU
1: Grenadier, Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz
2: Cannoneer, Hessen-Hanau Artillery Company
3: Light infantryman, Hessen-Hanau Freikorps

D
 3

WALDECK
1: Drummer, 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment
2: Musketeer, 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment
3: Grenadier, 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment
E
 ANSBACH-BAYREUTH
1: Grenadier, Ansbach Regiment
2: NCO, Ansbach-Bayreuth Artillery Detachment
3: Officer, Bayreuth Regiment
1

F
 2

ANHALT-ZERBST
1: Grenadier, 1778
2: Musketeer, 1778
3: Musketeer, 1781
G
 RIFLE-ARMED TROOPS
1: Braunschweig Jäger sergeant
2: Hessen-Hanau Freikorps rifleman
3: Private, Ansbach-Bayreuth Feldjäger Korps
1

H
WALDECK
Waldeck was a small German state of approximately 37,000 inhabitants
lying west of Hessen-Cassel. Its ruler, Prince Friedrich Karl August, wrote
to George III in November 1775, offering his assistance in quashing
the American Revolution. Karl August himself had campaigned in
Austria and was a lieutenant-general in the Dutch service. Waldeck had
a tradition of supplying auxiliary regiments to the Dutch military, and
the rebellion in America provided an opportunity for its prince to make
further military investments. A treaty was concluded between Britain and
Waldeck at Arolsen on April 20, 1776.

Organization and deployment

Waldeck supplied one regiment of one battalion, accompanied by two
battalion guns, for service in North America. The state already had two
regiments serving the Dutch military, so to form what was termed the
3rd English-Waldeck Regiment, officers and men were transferred over
from the two preexisting units, with the ranks then further supplemented
by a recruiting drive.
The regiment’s official strength consisted of one battalion of one
grenadier and four musketeer companies. Each musketeer company
consisted of one captain, one first lieutenant, one ensign, three officers’
servants, one surgeon’s mate, three sergeants, one quartermaster-
sergeant, one master-at-arms, one color-bearer, six corporals, three A buckle plate used to secure the
waist belt of a Waldeck soldier.
drummers, 107 privates, and one supernumerary. The grenadier
It bears the cipher “FF” for Fürst
company was composed of one captain, one first lieutenant, one second Friedrich, the ruler of Waldeck.
lieutenant, three officers’ servants, one surgeon’s mate, three sergeants, (The New York Historical Society/
one quartermaster-sergeant, one master-at-arms, six corporals, three Getty Images)

33
 drummers, two fifers, 110 grenadiers, and one supernumerary. The
regimental staff consisted of one lieutenant-colonel, one major, two
captain-lieutenants, one adjutant, one auditor, one quartermaster, one
chaplain, one surgeon, one drum-major, four musicians, one provost
and his servant, and two drivers. The 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment
therefore consisted of a total of 670 men, plus two bombardiers and
12 cannoneers for the two 3-pounder battalion guns. The official
establishment also permitted 32 women. The regiment’s colonel was
Johann Ludwig Wilhelm von Hanxleden. Prince Karl August gifted each
man in the regiment a hymn book before their departure.
After a two-week delay, the Waldeck Regiment marched approximately
130 miles north to Bremerlehe, lying on the Weser River, where they
were to embark on transports. The Waldeckers arrived on May 30, 1776,
and next day were met by Colonel William Faucitt, who inspected the
troops and administered their new oath of allegiance to King George III.
Faucitt wrote a report for his superior detailing his impressions of the
Waldeck Regiment:

The Front and Rear Ranks of this Regt. are compos’d of stout,
tall, well-made fellows, but the Outer ranks are in general very
short, consisting chiefly of lads furnish’d by the country of
Waldeck, some of whom appear’d rather too young and too slight
for immediate service; there also seem’d several old men in the
Corps. The whole however seem’d full of spirits and good will. The
Grenadier Company is a very fine body throughout, and made a
very shewy [sic] appearance with their caps fac’d with black Bear
skin: the appointments in general are rich and handsome, and the
clothing (blue, with light yellow facings & cuffs & white waistcoats
and breeches) arms and accoutrements not only complete but
quite new & very good. As far as these articles will go, it must
be confess’d the Prince has spared no expence [sic] to put his
regiment upon the best footing. (TNA SP 81/184)

There were insufficient British vessels to carry the Waldeck Regiment,

so three Dutch vessels, Jacob Cornelius, Benjamin, and John Abraham, were
hired. They transported the regiment to Britain, departing on June 3.
They arrived off Portsmouth on June 20, where they were provided with
a fourth transport, Adamant, to ease the overcrowded conditions on
the other ships. Originally, British planners had intended to deploy the
Waldeck Regiment to Canada, but changed the unit’s destination to New
York to tie in with plans to retake that city from revolutionary forces.
The Waldeck expedition therefore joined a larger fleet that departed
Portsmouth on June 28. They reached Sandy Hook, New Jersey, on
October 18, continued on to New York the day after, and disembarked
on October 22. From there the Waldeckers took small boats to join the
main Crown Forces army under Lieutenant-General Sir William Howe
near New Rochelle.

Service history
The 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment served as part of the main Crown
Forces army in North America during the remainder of the New York
34 campaign of 1776. The unit’s first contact with revolutionary forces
occurred close to the village of Maroneck, New York, on October 27,
where Waldeck pickets consisting of a corporal and 18 privates were
attacked. The corporal and two privates were captured, while two more
were seriously wounded and left behind.
The Waldeck Regiment was brigaded with troops from Hessen-Cassel.
The Waldeckers’ first major engagement was the storming of Fort
Washington on November 16, 1776, where the regiment suffered six men
killed and 16 wounded. During the winter of 1776/77 the Waldeckers
occupied quarters in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and were involved in the sharp
skirmishing that plagued the area. In June they were shifted to Staten
Island, where they helped defeat a rebel attack on August 23, 1777. They
saw little further action until they were redeployed on November 3, 1778,
first to Jamaica, where they spent a month, and then on to Pensacola in
West Florida, arriving on January 17, 1779. The intention was for the
Waldeck Regiment to help garrison the frontier between British and
Spanish colonial possessions on the Mississippi River, but insufficient
transports meant the Waldeckers had to be ferried there in company
detachments, one after the other.
On June 21, 1779, while they were still in the process of doing so, Spain
declared war on Britain. Unaware of this, on September 4 the company
under Captain Alberti was taken prisoner by the Spanish aboard their
transports while traversing Lake Pontchartrain. Alberti and several other
officers, three sergeants, one drummer, and 49 privates were seized and
taken to New Orleans, then on to Spanish holdings in Mexico and then
Cuba. Alberti died soon after his capture from a fever. Those of his men
who survived the climate largely remained in captivity until they were
exchanged in 1782.
The fortunes of the rest of the Waldeck Regiment continued in
a similar vein. A small force left to delay a Spanish offensive at the
crumbling Fort Bute was swiftly captured on September 7, 1779, along
with more of the regiment when the British commander of the post at
Baton Rouge surrendered on September 21. In a skirmish near Mobile
Bay on January 7, 1781, Colonel von Hanxleden, his adjutant, and two
rank and file were killed, and one captain, one sergeant, and five rank
and file were wounded.
The siege of Pensacola (March 9–May 10, 1781) marked the end of
military operations for the Waldeck Regiment. The Crown Forces garrison
capitulated, and what remained of the regiment was captured, a total
of 11 officers, nine staff, 14 sergeants, 13 corporals, 11 musicians, 219
privates, and nine artillerymen. Throughout both their time as garrison
troops or in Spanish captivity, the Waldeck Regiment suffered grievous
losses to disease and malnutrition – ten times as many men to the inimical
climate as it did to direct Spanish military action. Reinforcements were
shipped from Waldeck each year that the war progressed, but they were
insufficient to maintain the regiment at full strength.
Many of those Waldeckers captured at Pensacola were permitted to
return to New York, on the condition that they would no longer fight An example of a hanger, or
against Spain. They remained there for the rest of the war, performing short sword, carried by Waldeck
soldiers. Though dating from
garrison duties. While on Long Island they received new colors after the
1794, the design was unchanged
previous ones were surrendered to the Spanish. These were presented from the Revolutionary period.
to the regiment while in winter quarters at Flatbush, Long Island, on (Penta Springs Limited/Alamy
January 21, 1783, though the exact design of the flags remains unknown. Stock Photo) 35
 With the war in North America at an end
by summer 1783, on July 16 the Waldeck
Regiment, by this time consisting of 15 officers,
seven staff, 20 sergeants, 31 drummers, 335
rank and file, 20 women, and 13 children,
embarked on transports that would return
them to Europe. They left New York on July 25
and reached Britain one month later. They
carried on to Bremerlehe on September 3, and
from there marched back to Waldeck. The last
Waldeck troops involved in the war, the new
recruits for the year 1782 that had spent time
garrisoning Halifax, Nova Scotia, reached home
on October 10, 1783.

Uniforms and personal equipment

Like all other German auxiliaries involved in
the American Revolutionary War besides those
from Anhalt-Zerbst, the Waldeck Regiment
broadly followed the Prussian style. Regimental
coats were dark blue with yellow facings and
lining. Six white-metal buttons were arranged
1-2-3 on each lapel plus a further three below
each lapel. The coat also had two buttons on
each cuff and two on each sleeve immediately
above the cuff. Vests and breeches were white,
as were the knee-high gaiters worn with the
breeches. Cocked hats were trimmed with white
wool edging and completed by yellow cords.
Grenadiers wore black bearskin caps, without
metal-plate fronts. Sergeants were distinguished
by silver lace and cords on their cocked hats,
silver epaulets, and silver sword-knots. Musicians
wore yellow coats with blue facings, trimmed
with lace, silver in the case of the drum-major.
Reportedly, the uniforms of the surgeon’s mates
were the same as those of enlisted men, but their
coats had no facings. Drivers wore blue suits
with yellow lining. Artillerymen wore blue coats
with yellow buttons, red facings, and buff vests
and breeches, with bombardiers distinguished
by gold epaulets.
Accouterments for musketeers consisted of
two leather belts, one for a cartridge pouch, the
other for a bayonet and short-sword scabbards,
plus haversacks and canteens, supplemented at
Artwork of a Waldeck soldier times by furred knapsacks and blanket rolls. As early as February 19, 1776,
in 1794. The uniform remained the Pistor manufactory was contracted to supply 300 muskets, plus sabers
very similar to the one worn and belts for Waldeck. Two shipments were made to Arolsen by the end
by the 3rd English-Waldeck
of April, and further replacement arms were supplied by Pistor in 1778
Regiment during the American
Revolutionary War. (Hansrad and 1782 (Moller 2011a: 424–25). Some muskets may also have been
36 Collection/Alamy Stock Photo) supplied during the state’s previous Dutch service.
ANSBACH-BAYREUTH
During the period of the American Revolutionary War, Ansbach-Bayreuth
was actually two margraviates, Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-
Bayreuth, located in the Franconian region and ruled jointly by Margrave
Christian Friedrich Karl Alexander von Ansbach. Alexander’s holdings
were heavily in debt, so the margrave was receptive to British financial
offers in exchange for the use of Ansbach-Bayreuth’s small standing
army in North America. Colonel Faucitt arrived at the Ansbach court on
January 14, 1777, and a treaty was duly signed with Britain on February 1,
whereby Ansbach-Bayreuth supplied a force of two single-battalion
infantry regiments (one from Ansbach and one from Bayreuth), one Jäger
company, and one artillery company of two field guns and their attendant
crews in exchange for a sum eventually totaling more than £100,000.

Organization and deployment

The Ansbach regiment, sometimes referred to as the 1st Regiment, was
commanded by Colonel Friedrich Ludwig Albrecht von Eyb, and the
Bayreuth regiment, or 2nd Regiment, by Colonel August Valentin von
Voit von Salzburg. They were therefore called the Regiment von Eyb
and the Regiment von Voit, at least initially. Colonel von Eyb returned to
Uffenheim in Ansbach in May 1778, and command of the 1st Regiment
was taken over by Colonel von Voit, while Voit’s position as commander
of the 2nd Regiment was taken up by Colonel Johann Heinrich Christian
Franz von Seybothen. The Regiment von Eyb therefore became the
Regiment von Voit and the original Regiment von Voit became the
Regiment von Seybothen from May 1778 onward (Döhla 1990: xviii).
Both Ansbach-Bayreuth infantry regiments consisted of one grenadier
and four musketeer companies, totaling 570 men. The musketeer
companies consisted of 112 men each, the grenadier company of 113,
and the regiment staff of nine individuals – the colonel, major, chaplain,
auditor, surgeon-major, regimental quartermaster, drum-major, provost,
and assistant provost. The regular musketeer companies each consisted
of one captain, one first lieutenant, and two second lieutenants as well as
two sergeants, one quartermaster-sergeant, five corporals, one surgeon,
one fifer, two drummers, one tent attendant, and 95 privates (Döhla
1990: xviii).
The initial Jäger company deployed to America in 1777 was
commanded by Captain Christoph von Cramon. It totaled 101 men and
consisted of one captain, one first lieutenant, two second lieutenants, two
sergeants, one quartermaster-sergeant, five corporals, one medic, one
tent attendant, and 87 Jägers. Four other Jäger companies were raised in
Ansbach-Bayreuth over the course of the war – the second in 1779, the
third in 1781, and the fourth and fifth in 1782 – creating a Jäger regiment
that was placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Christoph
Ludwig von Reitzenstein. Among the ranks of the later companies was
Lieutenant August Neidhardt von Gneisenau, who went on to become a
prominent Prussian field marshal.
The Ansbach-Bayreuth artillery company was commanded by First
Lieutenant (later Captain) Hoffmann and consisted of one lieutenant,
four bombardiers, eight conductors, one tent attendant, and 30
cannoneers, split between two field guns (Döhla 1990: xix). 37
 After an address from Margrave Alexander, the Ansbach-Bayreuth
troops set out from their homeland on March 7, 1777, marching north
to their embarkation point on the Main River at Ochsenfurt. Conditions
were poor, with insufficient room on the riverboats transporting
the troops, and a mutiny ensued among the two infantry regiments.
Margrave Alexander himself traveled north to quell the unrest. The
Jägers under Captain von Cramon began to restore order, and there was
a brief firefight, resulting in one soldier killed and two wounded from the
Regiment von Voit. Falling into line first, Regiment von Eyb, particularly
the grenadier company, then helped restore discipline to the Regiment
von Voit.
The Ansbach-Bayreuth troops traveled by sea to Dordrecht in the
Netherlands, where they took the oath that saw them formally enter into
British service. They boarded British ships and sailed first for Portsmouth,
then on to North America.

Service history
The Ansbach-Bayreuth corps arrived off New York on June 3, 1777, and
made landfall at Staten Island two days later. The British commander-
in-chief in North America, Lieutenant-General Sir William Howe, was
quoted by his Hessian aide-de-camp, Captain Friedrich von Münchhausen,
as saying that “the Anspachers [sic] are exceedingly tall and handsome
fellows. Without doubt these Anspach [sic] regiments are the tallest and
best-looking regiments of all those here” (quoted in Döhla 1990: xvii).
Their first major operation involved being assigned to a force sent
north up the Hudson River in October, with the intention of providing
The Crown Forces Monument support for the Burgoyne Expedition that had been launched from
at Guilford Courthouse Canada in June. Burgoyne had already surrendered, however, and the
mentions the Ansbach-Bayreuth
contingent returned to New York having seen little action.
Jägerkorps. (US National Park
Service)
The Ansbach-Bayreuth regiments were then deployed to British-
occupied Philadelphia in November 1777, but again were not heavily
engaged. When the British evacuated the city on June 18, 1778, the
Ansbach-Bayreuth troops returned to New York by ship rather than
overland with the rest of the Crown force, thereby missing the battle of
Monmouth (June 28, 1778). They arrived at Long Island on June 20.
On July 15, 1778, the corps landed at Newport, Rhode Island, to assist
its small garrison. On August 29 they clashed with the combined Franco-
American forces attempting to retake the area, and remained in Newport
for the rest of 1778 and much of 1779.
Rhode Island was evacuated in October 1779, and the Ansbach-
Bayreuth corps returned to New York, spending the next year-and-a-half
performing garrison duties occasionally punctuated by raids into the
interior. In May 1781 the regiments were selected to be part of the
reinforcement sent to Virginia to assist General Charles Cornwallis’s
efforts in the south, under the initial command of Colonel von Voit. They
were involved in the siege of Yorktown (September 28–October 19, 1781),
acting as a rearguard during Cornwallis’s failed breakout attempt on
October 16. They surrendered with the rest of the garrison, and most of
them were not released until May 1783.
As the war progressed, disease and desertion took a heavy toll on the
numbers of the Ansbach-Bayreuth corps, and they had to be replenished
38 by regular shipments of new recruits. Margrave Alexander provided
yearly reinforcements to bolster the
preexisting regiments, along with
particular surges following new
agreements and further payments from
the British in 1779 and 1782. While the
initial contribution consisted of 1,285
men, it is estimated that a total of 2,353
Ansbach-Bayreuth soldiers served in
North America between 1777 and 1783.
Of that number almost half, 1,170,
died, deserted, or were given leave to
remain in America at the conclusion of
hostilities (Döhla 1990: xx).

Uniforms and personal

equipment
The uniforms of the Ansbach-Bayreuth
corps followed the Prussian style
that had become popular in many
parts of Europe following the Seven
Years’ War. Both infantry regiments
wore a dark-blue coat with red lining
and “white” (pewter) metal buttons
as well as a white vest, white breeches, and full black linen gaiters; An Ansbach-Bayreuth flag, one of
musketeers wore a laced cocked hat while grenadiers wore a white a number captured following the
surrender at Yorktown. (Military
metal-fronted cap. The Regiment von Eyb (later von Voit) had red
and Historical Images Bank)
facings, while the Regiment von Voit (later von Seybothen) had black
facings. Accouterments consisted of two whitened leather belts, one for a
cartridge pouch, the other for a bayonet and short sword plus scabbards,
plus haversacks and canteens, supplemented at times by knapsacks and
blanket rolls.
The Jäger wore a green coat with red facings, red lining, and
yellow-metal buttons with a green vest, buff breeches, and full black linen
gaiters; their cocked hats were unlaced while their leather accouterments,
including cartridge pouches, were brown. Artillery personnel wore a blue
coat with red facings, red lining, white-metal buttons, white vest, white
breeches, and full black linen gaiters, plus a laced cocked hat.
Exactly where the majority of the Ansbach-Bayreuth weaponry was
sourced from remains unclear, but it is known that pistols were purchased
from the manufactory at Potsdam-Spandau, while the rifles of the
Ansbach-Bayreuth Jäger seem to have come from the Pistor manufactory
at Schmalkalden (Moller 2011a: 424).

Colors
The Ansbach-Bayreuth flags appear to have been white, and lacked the
flame-like design common to many German military standards of the
period. A color captured at Yorktown shows a laurel and a palm forming
a wreath tied with a pink ribbon, framing the cipher “MZB” for Markgraf
zu Brandenburg. Above it is a crown, and beneath it is the date 1775,
presumably when the flag was issued. On the reverse is an eagle carrying a
marshal’s baton and palm and laurel branches beneath a scroll featuring
the motto PRO PRINCIPE PATRIA – “for prince and fatherland.” 39
 ANHALT-ZERBST
Anhalt-Zerbst was a small German state with a population of about
20,000, lying between Saxony and Prussia. Its ruler was Prince Friedrich
August, the younger brother of the Russian Empress Catherine the
Great. Prior to her marriage to the Russian Czar Peter III, Catherine
had been named Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg
– she was the daughter of Christian August, the ruler of Anhalt-Zerbst
prior to Friedrich inheriting the title in 1747. Friedrich served in the
military of the Holy Roman Empire, becoming a general of cavalry and
a Reichs-General-Feldmarshall-Lieutenant. For most of his life he lived in
Basel in Switzerland or in Luxembourg, ruling his princedom via written
directives and decrees issued to the privy councilors responsible for
its day-to-day running. He was the last German ruler to sign a military
treaty with Great Britain, in October 1777. Anhalt-Zerbst would supply
two infantry battalions in the Regiment Princess von Anhalt, sometimes
known as the Regiment von Rauschenplatt after its commander, a total
of 1,160 men.

Organization and deployment

Unlike all of the other German states that provided Britain with military
assistance during the American Revolutionary War, Anhalt-Zerbst
followed the Austria military model of organization and tactics, rather
than that of Prussia. Like the Austrian Army, the first battalion raised
by Anhalt-Zerbst for service in North America included two grenadier
companies rather than one, though it is unclear whether there were
also four musketeer companies, or three. Four was the standard in an
Austrian Army battalion, but a total of six companies would result in a
number beyond the 625 men who reported for embarkation at Stade.
Given the high number of deserters beforehand, however, it seems
feasible that the battalion’s composition was indeed four musketeer and
two grenadier companies.
If using the Austrian system, a regular musketeer company from the
Regiment Princess von Anhalt would have included one captain, one
lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one Feldwebel (senior NCO), one
quartermaster, five corporals, two quartermaster orderlies, four musicians
(three drummers and one fifer), ten Gefreite (first-class privates), one
pioneer, and 109 musketeers. Grenadier companies were organized
similarly but had four corporals, two drummers, no first-class privates,
two fifers, and 84 grenadiers instead of 109 musketeers.
Interestingly, accounts in 1778 mention a Jäger corps commanded
by a Captain Nuppenau operating in Canada, and supposedly
originating from Anhalt-Zerbst. No detailed information exists about
this unit, or about the supposed existence of Anhalt-Zerbst artillery;
if there was any artillery sent to North America, it was likely two light
(3-pounder) “battalion guns” used to support the regiment, a standard
Austrian practice.
The Regiment Princess von Anhalt was inspected for the first time
in November 1777 by Colonel William Faucitt, the British Army officer
responsible for conducting the majority of negotiations with the
various German rulers contracting troops to George III. He wrote that
40 the regiment:
 was compos’d of a fine body of men all young,
robust and well put together, but they handled
their arms, march’d & wheeled not so well as I
cou’d have wish’d. I made them go through the
firing motions likewise, which they also perform’d
but indifferently. The Commanding Officer,
however, Colonel Rauschenplat, assured me that
the greatest part of them had not been call’d
in from their furloughs for above three or four
days, having been absent from the Regiment for
the greatest part of the year, and that by diligent
drilling for the time they might have before
their march, he wou’d be responsible for their
being brought to a proper degree of perfection
for any service. I am inclin’d to think this might
be very well accomplish’d within the course of
ten days or a fortnight, especially as the Colonel
appear’d to be a very active intelligent Officer,
who had serv’d all the last War in the Austrian
Army. Their Clothing was white with red facings
and cuffs, and in general very good; their arms
the same, and clean. The Grenadiers wore bear-skin caps; there Recruiting poster from the first
are two companies of them to each Regiment. Upon the whole half of the 18th century showing
an Anhalt-Zerbst grenadier
they made a handsome appearance, and did not seem to want for
and infantryman. (Unknown/
good will, especially the Officers, at least as many as I saw of them, Wikimedia/Public Domain)
several being absent. (Quoted in Sartorius 1999: 31)

Faucitt’s observation about the men being young was accurate, as it seems
the vast majority, around 900, were new recruits, rather than transfers
from other regiments or veterans reenlisting.
Prussia refused to allow German troops bound for British service to
march through its territory on their way to costal embarkation points,
and due to Anhalt-Zerbst’s geography, the Regiment Princess von Anhalt
was forced to take a somewhat circuitous route to reach Stade, where
it was set to board ships. This led to a great deal of misadventure – in
the village of Zeulenrode an attempt to apprehend a deserter led to an
innkeeper’s wife being accidentally killed, resulting in a riot. Predatory
Prussian recruiting parties also descended on the regiment, enticing
away new soldiers. By the time the regiment approached Stade, 334
men had deserted, though conversely about 130 new men were enlisted
on the long march, leaving a force of 625 men, plus 31 women on the
official muster. This force embarked at Stade on April 22, 1778, sailing
two days later. They arrived at Portsmouth on May 12 and joined a convoy
bound for Québec, departing on May 25. Following a stop at Torbay until
June 13, they arrived at Québec on September 5 (Lowell 1884: 52).
Popular myth holds that the British commander in Canada,
Lieutenant-General Sir Guy Carleton, had not been told to expect
troops from Anhalt-Zerbst. Worried about landing soldiers he was not
authorized to employ, he forced the contingent to remain on their ships
for three months while seeking clarification from Britain. This story
appears to be pure fabrication – in reality the Regiment Princess von
Anhalt disembarked on September 8, three days after arriving. 41
 Service history
The Anhalt-Zerbst regiment never saw serious action during the American
Revolutionary War, spending its time on garrison duties in Canada and
New York. In a letter to George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, Secretary
of State for the Colonies, dated September 13, 1779, Major-General Sir
Frederick Haldimand, a senior British officer, wrote that

the German troops are ill calculated for American service and,
being uninterested in the event of the war, are little to be depended
on. The regiment of Anhalt-Zerbst, the best of them, is but a
regiment of recruits; very few of these troops can be employed
anywhere in this country except on garrison duty, and even in
that way they are helpless in many respects. (TNA CO 42/39/261)

That same month, Prince Friedrich August offered to raise another

regiment for British service. A small number of reinforcements had
already been dispatched earlier that year, and more would go in 1780
and 1782, but August’s proposed regiment was considerably larger. The
British rejected his proposal, but agreed to an enlarged reinforcement
of the Regiment Princess von Anhalt. This force would total one major,
one first lieutenant, six second lieutenants, three surgeons, 15 NCOs,
25 chasseurs (light infantry), 383 privates, one servant, 21 woman, and
12 children. On April 20, 1781, it was embarked at Bremerlehe on three
transports. The contingent departed on May 11 for New York, arriving
three months later to the day.
Seven privates perished during the voyage, and many more became ill
– 112 men were admitted to hospitals when the regiment arrived in New
York – while the rest disembarked at Brooklyn Ferry on August 14, 1781.
They were quartered at Wallabout and Bushwick on Long Island for four
days, then were ferried to Paulus Hook, New Jersey, to take the place of
the British 54th Regiment of Foot. While garrisoning the area, the unit’s
commander, Major Rudolph Heinrich von Lüttichau, had his men swap
their footwear and cloth breeches with shoes and linen trousers due to
the heat and the difficulty of weekly marches into New Jersey to forage.
Interestingly, the Hessen-Hanau artillery officer Captain Georg Pausch
claimed that though the Anhalt-Zerbst regiment’s drill was that of the
Austrian military, when drilling with German units from other states they
adopted the Prussian drill to match their auxiliary allies.
The regimental augmentation left New York on July 25, 1783, arriving
in Britain on August 25. From there they took transports for Stade,
arriving on September 8 and disembarking on September 10. The main
body of the regiment in Québec embarked on seven transports on
August 2, 1783, sailing first to the Isle of Bic on the St. Lawrence River,
and then on to Portsmouth, which they reached on September 10. They
sailed from the Downs on September 12 and reached Bremerlehe one
week later, then carried on to the town of Jever in Lower Saxony where
they were to perform garrison duties. The 1782 batch of recruits, the
last to be sent from Anhalt-Zerbst, arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from
Bremerlehe on August 13, 1782, and stayed there as a garrison force
consisting of one lieutenant, one sergeant, 41 privates, and one woman.
They left on August 2, 1783, sailing to Stade. By October 1783, the last of
42 the 984 remaining men of the regiment had all returned home.
Uniforms and personal equipment
As noted, Anhalt-Zerbst followed the military
organizations and style of Austria rather than
Prussia, and this was reflected in their uniforms
and equipment. The standard uniform was a
white regimental coat with red lapels, cuffs, and
lining (it did not have a collar), plus a red strap
on the left shoulder. Buttons were brass (often
described as “yellow”) and arranged with seven
on each lapel, two beneath each lapel, two on
each cuff, three on each pocket and one on each
side of the back. Vests were red and breeches
white, with knee-length black gaiters. It seems
some modifications were made in North America
– a description in 1778 states the Anhalt-Zerbst
troops wore buff trousers and short white gaiters.
Black cocked hats were surmounted by a white
plume. Grenadiers wore black bearskin caps with
a front plate inscribed with the cipher “FA” for
Friedrich August. The back of the cap was red
cloth with yellow piping.
The British Army’s Major Frederick Mackenzie
made an intriguing observation as to the uniforms
of the Anhalt-Zerbst corps in New York, writing:

The Anhalt Zerbst troops looked more like Dragoons than Infantry. Friedrich August, ruler of Anhalt-
They are clothed in white, faced with Red, Felt Caps, a la Hussar; Zerbst and brother to Empress
Catherine II of Russia, is
Boots, and a Red Cloak. Their Arms are a Musquet, & bayonet,
depicted in this 1785 engraving
and a short Sword. Over their Waist belts, which are buckled over by J.C.G. Fritsch (1720–1802). A
their coats, they wear a kind of Sash of red & yellow worsted. They soldier in the service of the Holy
are good looking, well sized young men. (Mackenzie 1968: 589) Roman Empire, he spent little
time in Anhalt-Zerbst, preferring
to rule from his other holdings.
It has been speculated that this rather grandiose uniform was worn
(INTERFOTO/Alamy Stock Photo)
by “pandurs,” irregular troops originating in Hungary that served the
Habsburg Empire. Anhalt-Zerbst’s ties to Austria make this possible –
it may be that while personnel of the first battalion serving in Canada
were uniformed along more standard regulations, those of the second
battalion helping to garrison New York were indeed pandur irregulars.
The Pistor manufactory at Schmalkalden supplied 500 muskets,
100 rifles, and 500 sidearms to Anhalt-Zerbst in 1778. Pistols were also
purchased from Potsdam, raising the possibility that more muskets were
bought there as well (Moller 2011a: 425).

Colors
Records exist of an 18th-century Anhalt-Zerbst infantry color destroyed
during World War II. It was white, with a red flame design running
inward from each of the four edges, though these flames were shorter
and thicker than many German colors of the period due to the size of the
central device. The flag’s middle was taken up by the Anhalt-Zerbst crest,
which was divided into two halves – on the left were the colors of Saxony;
on the right, the right half of a red eagle on a silver field. The crest was
framed with a laurel held together by a ribbon at the bottom. 43
 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Decurion (1937). “The Hanoverian Regiments in India, 1782 Lowell, Edward J. (1884). The Hessians and the Other German
to 1792,” in The Journal of the United Service Institution Auxiliaries of Great Britain in the Revolutionary War. New
of India, Vol. 67: 205–15. York, NY: Harper & Bros.
Döhla, Johann Conrad, ed. Bruce E. Burgoyne (1990). A Mackenzie, Frederick (1968). Diary of Frederick Mackenzie,
Hessian Diary of the American Revolution. Norman, OK: Volume II. New York, NY: Arno Press.
University of Oklahoma Press. Moller, George D. (2011a). American Military Shoulder
Dornfest, Walter (1983). “Hanoverian Troops in the British Arms Volume I: Colonial and Revolutionary War Arms.
Service, 1775–1792,” in Journal of the Society for Army Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.
Historical Research, Vol. 61, No. 245: 58–61.
Moller, George D. (2011b). American Military Shoulder Arms
Eelkin, Max von, ed. (1868). Memoirs, and Letters and
Volume II: From the 1790s to the End of the Flintlock
Journals, of Major General Riedesel, During his Residence
Period. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico
in America. Albany, NY: Joel Munsell.
Press.
Eelkin, Max von (1893). The German Allied Troops in the North
American War of Independence, 1776–1783. Albany, NY: Sartorius, C.A., trans. H.J. Retzer (1999). “Journal of the
Joel Munsell’s Sons. Hessen-Hanau Erbprinz Infantry Regiment Kept by
Haarmann, Albert W. (1970). “Notes on the Braunschweig 2nd Lieutenant Carl August Sartorius, Regimental
Troops in British Service During the American War of Quartermaster, translated by Henry J. Retzer,” in Journal
Independence, 1776–1783,” in Journal of the Society for of the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association, Vol. 6,
Army Historical Research, Vol. 48, No. 195: 140–43. No. 3: 26–34.
Haarmann, Albert W. & Donald W. Holst (1963). “The
Hessen-Hanau Free Corps of Light Infantry,” in Military The National Archives, UK: Colonial Office, Class 42, Vol. 39.
Collector and Historian, Vol. XV: 40–42. The National Archives, UK: State Papers, Class 81, Vol. 184.

PLATE COMMENTARIES
A: SENIOR COMMANDERS (3) Colonel Wilhelm Rudolf von Gall
(1) Major-General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, Freiherr Colonel Wilhelm Rudolf von Gall was born in Hessen-Cassel in
zu Eisenbach 1734 and served as a junior officer in the Hessian Army during
Major-General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel (sometimes the Seven Years’ War. Following the war’s conclusion he
misspelled in secondary sources as von Riedesel) was one of became colonel of Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz, the only
the most senior officers from the German states serving the musketeer regiment deployed by Hessen-Hanau to North
British Crown during the American Revolutionary War. The America during the American Revolutionary War. Gall wears the
commander of the Braunschweig corps sent to North uniform of an officer of his regiment, most readily identifiable by
America, he was a Seven Years’ War veteran and the Freiherr the distinctive silver “Brandenburg”-style figure eight lace, as
(baron) of the town of Eisenbach. He held overall command well as the scalloped lace on the cocked hat. Like other
of all German state troops during the 1777 Saratoga Hessen-Hanau officers, his sash is silver worked with red
campaign during which, despite notable service, he and most stripes, and his silver gorget bears the red-and-white striped lion
of his troops were captured. Exchanged midway through the rampant, similar yet distinct from the crest of Hessen-Cassel.
Revolutionary War, he resumed command of forces around
New York, but did not see active campaigning again. Riedesel
is here depicted in his major-general’s uniform, which largely B: HANNOVER
mirrors the uniforms of the rest of the Braunschweig corps in (1) Lieutenant-General August de la Motte
its lack of lace and ornamentation. The white feathers Born in Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel on November 17, 1713,
adorning his silver-laced, cocked hat denote that he is a August de la Motte joined the Hanoverian Army and fought in
general officer. the Seven Years’ War. Ranking as a colonel in October 1775,
(2) Colonel Johann Friedrich Specht he was chosen to lead a Hanoverian infantry brigade and sent
Colonel Johann Friedrich Specht commanded one of the four to Gibraltar. During the grueling siege (June 24, 1779–
Braunschweig musketeer regiments deployed to Canada in February 7, 1783), de la Motte served as third-in-command
1776. During the Saratoga campaign, Specht commanded of the garrison, being promoted to lieutenant-general in 1781.
the 1st Brigade of the German corps, consisting of three He returned to Hannover in October 1784 and died in Verden
Braunschweig infantry regiments – his own (commanded in on August 29, 1788. Here we see the diminutive de la Motte
the field by Major Carl von Ehrenkrook), von Rhetz, and during the latter part of his time at Gibraltar, his lieutenant-
Riedesel. Specht wears the uniform of his regiment, identified general’s uniform closely following the British style.
by the red facings. His silver sash worked with yellow is (2) Gibraltar medal
indicative of the types of sash worn by Braunschweig officers. The Defence of Gibraltar Medal was privately instituted by
His gorget, like that worn by Major-General Riedesel, bears General Sir George Augustus Eliott, the garrison commander,
the running white horse on a red field crest of Braunschweig to commemorate the role played by Hanoverian troops in the
44 – almost identical to that of Hannover. successful defense of Gibraltar.
(3) Officer, Regiment von Reden D: HESSEN-HANAU
His uniform betraying strong British influences, this officer of (1) Grenadier, Infanterie-Regiment Erbprinz
the Regiment von Reden wears the black facings of his unit The Hessen-Hanau Regiment Erbprinz is often confused with
and the gorget, epaulet, and officer’s waist sash denoting his the Hessen-Cassel Regiment Erbprinz – the former were
rank. The Hanoverian troops deployed to the Mediterranean musketeers, and the latter fusiliers, so their headwear was the
acquitted themselves well, on the whole, and crucially most obvious difference, with the Hanau musketeers wearing
replaced British regiments urgently needed in North America. cocked hats and the Cassel fusiliers metal-fronted caps. The
(4) Private, Regiment de la Motte situation is rendered more complex, however, in the case of
This private of the Regiment de la Motte wears the pale- the Hessen-Hanau grenadiers – like most German grenadiers,
yellow facings of his unit. His hat decoration, long white they wore metal-fronted caps very similar to fusiliers, albeit
gaiters, and waist belt with “hanger” distinguish his grenadier caps tended to be slightly taller, and fusilier caps
appearance from that of the British infantrymen he otherwise tended to be topped by a small spike whereas grenadiers’
resembles. His coat is a “brick red” color several shades caps were surmounted by a pompom. More distinctive, as far
duller than the scarlet worn by the two officers. as the Hanau regiment was concerned, were the
“Brandenburg”-style figure eight lace loops on the regimental
coats. It should also be noted that while some secondary
C: BRAUNSCHWEIG
sources claim the regiment’s facings were pink, they appear
(1) Color-bearer, Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Friedrich
to have in fact been red.
This subaltern – or junior officer – carries one of the four
(2) Cannoneer, Hessen-Hanau Artillery Company
Ordinärfahnen belonging to the Braunschweig Regiment
The Hessen-Hanau corps provided the most artillery of any
Prinz Friedrich. In its center is the Braunschweig crest of the
German state bar Hessen-Cassel, though the pieces
running white horse, while the cipher of the ducal ruler
themselves were provided by the British. Of the eight cannon,
occupies each corner. Many Braunschweig flags famously
the four lighter guns were used as battalion guns, employed
avoided capture after Saratoga due to being smuggled out in
in close support of the infantry, while the other four – bronze
the mattress of Major-General Riedesel’s wife. The Regiment
Prinz Friedrich largely avoided the campaign, though – it 6-pounders – were combined to form a battery. The
seems to have been considered the most subpar of the
Braunschweig regiments, and was assigned garrison duty at
the recently recaptured Fort Ticonderoga.
(2) Private, Leichtes Infanterie-Bataillon von Barner
Besides the Freikorps from Hessen-Hanau and the possible
existence of Anhalt-Zerbst pandurs – neither of which saw
significant action in North America – Braunschweig-
Wolfenbüttel was the only German state to provide Crown
Forces with a dedicated light-infantry battalion rather than a
Jäger corps consisting of multiple Jäger companies.
Consisting of five companies in total, Light Infantry Battalion
Barner’s second company was a Jäger company, but the
other four were musketeer companies. These troops do not
appear to have functioned as light infantry in the truest sense,
but were armed with smoothbore muskets and bayonets, and
were expected to provide close support to the Jägers, who
were vulnerable to close assaults. The light-infantry
musketeers were uniformed and equipped in keeping with the
other Braunschweig musket-armed troops, distinguished by
black collars, black cuffs, and a black shoulder strap on the
left shoulder.
(3) Private, Dragoner-Regiment Prinz Ludwig
The only cavalry regiment deployed by any German state
during the American Revolutionary War, Dragoner-Regiment
Prinz Ludwig sailed to North America without horses,
expecting to receive them on arrival. In reality, acquiring
mounts proved difficult, and many of the cavalrymen were
killed or captured at the battle of Bennington while fighting on
foot, on an operation intended to seize more horses. Not all
of the regiment was destroyed, however, and a small number
equipped with mounts continued to act as couriers, videttes,
and provide close protection for senior officers during the
Saratoga campaign. While dispensing with their riding boots While this image depicts a British soldier in Canada during
when operating on foot, Prinz Ludwig dragoons maintained 1776, similar clothing was likely worn by those German
their cavalry swords, of a type known as a Pallasch, as well troops left garrisoning Canada during the winter months.
as a musket and bayonet. (Staatsarchiv Braunschweig H VI 6 Nr. 27) 45
 Hessen-Hanau artillery served with distinction during the corner of the flap. Faucitt described the grenadiers as being
Saratoga campaign under the command of Captain Georg particularly fine and making a showy appearance, and that
Pausch, including service onboard boats during the battle of the regiment overall was well uniformed and equipped, albeit
Valcour Island (October 11, 1776). This cannoneer was some of the men were a little slight or young, and a few
tasked with performing any of the many roles required not too old.
only in servicing the artillery in combat, but in maintaining and
moving it when out of action. He is distinguished by his coat’s
F: ANSBACH-BAYREUTH
red facings and brass buttons, as well as the brown leather
belly box for his musket’s ammunition. (1) Grenadier, Ansbach Regiment
(3) Light infantryman, Hessen-Hanau Freikorps The joint German state of Ansbach-Bayreuth provided one
The Freikorps were units employed by various German states musketeer regiment consisting of two battalions for British
from the mid-18th century onward. While their exact nature service during the American Revolutionary War, one from the
and composition varied greatly in the early years, they tended province of Ansbach, and one from the province of Bayreuth.
to consist of either deserters, adventurers, or ethnic minorities Both included a grenadier company, ostensibly consisting of
such as Hungarians and Croats or Balkan Muslims who were the largest and bravest men in each battalion. The practice of
either forbidden from joining regular regiments, or did not actually equipping them with grenades, except in unusual
wish to. Ideally, Freikorps swapped discipline and circumstances such as sieges, had died out many decades
regimentation for greater tactical and strategic flexibility, and previously. Like most other German grenadiers of the period,
could be employed as light infantry or partisans. Lack of this grenadier from the Ansbach regiment wears a tall cap,
discipline was a double-edged sword, however, and Freikorps plated with silver inscribed with the black eagle and crown of
tended to be viewed as unreliable and substandard troops, his ruler, Margrave Karl Alexander. British officers were initially
and could be relegated to garrison duties. Hessen-Hanau impressed by the Ansbach-Bayreuth corps, describing them
provided a Freikorps regiment for Britain late in the war. The as the best-looking of any of the German troops with the main
exact regimental composition and the nature of its troops British force operating in North America.
remains unknown, but it seems they were uniformed in green (2) NCO, Ansbach-Bayreuth Artillery Detachment
coats with red facings and lining. The Hessen-Hanau The Ansbach-Bayreuth musketeer regiment appears to have
Freikorps spent its short time in North America helping to been accompanied by a small artillery detachment, which
garrison New York. most likely served as battalion guns, light pieces that were
intended to supplement the firepower of the infantry and
provide mutual support to each other. This artillery NCO is
E: WALDECK equipped with a straight-bladed sword, secured with a white
(1} Drummer, 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment knot with black stripes. He also carries a partisan polearm.
The drummers of the 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment wore The Ansbach-Bayreuth artillery surrendered with its infantry
reversed colors, yellow regimental coats with blue facings, regiment at Yorktown.
trimmed with extra lace. Note also the unusual positioning of (3) Officer, Bayreuth Regiment
the four buttons on the coat cuff and sleeve, a feature unique The uniform of this officer of the Bayreuth battalion of the
to Waldeck among the German troops that served in the Ansbach-Bayreuth Regiment includes a number of badges of
American Revolutionary War. The brass-plated drum bears rank – a silver aiguillette on his right shoulder, and silver lace,
the “FF” cipher of Waldeck. As well as relaying orders on the as well as a silver waist sash and sword knot, worked with
battlefield, drummers were often the ones assigned to mete black, distinctive to officers from Ansbach-Bayreuth. Note
out corporal punishment, a recourse usually taken by German that he lacks a gorget. Not all officers wore gorgets on
troops with slightly (though not excessively) higher frequency campaign, possibly finding them impractical or too clear a
than in British regiments. mark for enemy sharpshooters. Like many militaries of the
(2) Musketeer, 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment period, there is little in this uniform to distinguish
This Waldeck musketeer’s coat, like those worn by the rest of battalion-level officers such as ensigns, lieutenants, and
the regiment, has yellow facings and lining. He carries typical captains from one another – enlisted men were expected to
campaign kit, including a cloth haversack, canteen, and show deference to all. The officer is armed with both a sword
animal-hide knapsack, slung over his right shoulder. Waldeck and a spontoon, its blade bearing the crest of the Margrave
troops saw extensive service in the southernmost British of Ansbach-Bayreuth. Unlike the British, the NCOs and
colonies of North America. There, the inimical climate claimed officers of some German states appear to have continued to
far more lives than the invading Spanish. Those Waldeck use polearms while on campaign in North America.
troops who survived usually spent long periods in Spanish
prisons before being exchanged near or at the end of the war.
(3) Grenadier, 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment G: ANHALT-ZERBST
A report by the British Colonel William Faucitt after he (1) Grenadier, 1778
inspected the 3rd English-Waldeck Regiment before they This Anhalt-Zerbst grenadier showcases the similarities
departed from their homeland indicated that the grenadier between Anhalt-Zerbst uniforms and the uniforms of nearby
company wore bearskin caps rather than completely metal- Austria. Rather than the dark blue favored by all of the
fronted ones, including a brass plate with the Waldeck crest. German states involved in the American Revolutionary War
Alongside Anhalt-Zerbst they were therefore the only German bar Hannover, the infantry coats worn by Anhalt-Zerbst were
grenadiers to wear bearskins. The grenadier cartridge pouch, white and, in the case of the Regiment Princess von Anhalt,
as well as having a central, brass oval plate bearing the bore red facings. Instead of grenadier caps with brass or
46 Waldeck insignia, also had a flaming grenade crest in each silver front plates, Anhalt-Zerbst grenadiers wore bearskins.
These uniform choices reflected the fact that Anhalt-Zerbst’s
ruler had closer diplomatic relations with Austria and the Holy
Roman Empire than he did with Prussia, the military model for
most other minor German states. Like other Anhalt-Zerbst
infantry regiments, the Regiment Princess von Anhalt had two
grenadier companies. Almost all depictions of German
grenadiers of the period show them as mustachioed – some
commentators regarded a good moustache as a sign of
experience and reliability.
(2) Musketeer, 1778
The uniforms of musketeers belonging to the Anhalt-Zerbst
regiment sent to North America were similar to those of the
grenadiers, with white coats faced with red and red vests,
albeit the cocked hat was worn instead of the bearskin.
Seemingly the musketeers also wore white gaiters with white
overalls or trousers. The buttons for the regiment were brass,
and the coats had Swedish-style slit cuffs. Stocks were
black, but with white edging.
(3) Musketeer, 1781
This is the style of Anhalt-Zerbst musketeer as documented
by one British officer late in the war. The unusual uniform is
described as being more akin to that of a dragoon than an
infantryman, and may represent the garments of a pandur, a
type of irregular light infantry employed by the Habsburg
Empire and some of its allies. Of note are the felt hussar cap,
the red-and-yellow worsted sash, the black “cuffed” boots,
and the red cloak, a luxurious item rarely issued to regular
infantrymen. Unfortunately, no other clear accounts exist of
this particular uniform, and nor did these troops ever see
service beyond garrisoning New York in the latter years of the
war. It is difficult to say how commonplace this attire was
without further documentation.
This image depicting a Canadian farmer reveals more
details of the cold-weather dress likely worn by the German
H: RIFLE-ARMED TROOPS auxiliary troops stationed in Canada. Overcoats such as this
(1) Braunschweig Jäger sergeant were sometimes made from cut-up blankets, and provided
Along with Hessen-Cassel, Hessen-Hanau and Ansbach- greater protection against winter weather than standard
Bayreuth, Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel provided Jäger light regimental coats. (Staatsarchiv Braunschweig H VI 6 Nr. 27)
infantrymen to Crown Forces serving in North America. These
elite, rifle-armed skirmishers and marksmen provided in-keeping with the practices of British light infantry, who
valuable service to the British, particularly in the more wore leather caps similar to the style of jockey caps from the
forested and difficult areas of North American terrain, and period. Despite being rifle-armed and possibly capable in
earned a reputation as some of the best troops on either side. irregular warfare, it would appear these troops saw little to no
While a green uniform was a prerequisite for all Jäger active combat.
regardless of their state of origin, there were subtle differences (3) Private, Ansbach-Bayreuth Feldjäger Korps
between the different Jäger corps. The coats of Braunschweig Ansbach-Bayreuth supplied a large number of Jäger
Jäger were unique insomuch as the buttons on their lapels throughout the course of the war – initially just one company
were spaced in a 1-2-1 pattern, and also bore Swedish-style with the first expedition in 1777, but then four more over the
open-sided cuffs – designs which mirrored the uniforms of next five years. Combined these formed a regiment, or
regular Braunschweig troops. As a sergeant, this Jäger also Feldjäger Korps, the largest contingent of such light
carries a cane – a symbol of authority and corporal infantrymen besides those sent by Hesse-Cassel. Among
punishment – and wears gloves. Despite being a sergeant, he them was the Saxony-born Lieutenant August Neidhardt von
is still equipped with a rifle, and expected to be at least as Gneisenau, who would eventually become one of Prussia’s
proficient with it as his subordinates, if not more so. most prominent field marshals during the Napoleonic Wars
(2) Hessen-Hanau Freikorps rifleman (1803–15). This Ansbach-Bayreuth Jäger is uniformed like all
The Hessen-Hanau Freikorps seems to have included a other Jäger with a dark-green coat with crimson facings and
company of rifle-armed soldiers, emphasizing their likely role lining and a dark-green vest. His coat buttons are brass and
as light infantry. With belly boxes for ammunition, green coats grouped in pairs. His black cocked hat includes a green
with red facings and lining matching those of the rest of the cockade, while his leatherwork is brown. Like all other Jäger
regiment, they would have appeared similar to the Jäger of he is armed with a rifle, in this case likely produced at the
other states at a glance. Rather than a cocked hat, however, Pistor manufactory at Schmalkalden. Such weapons proved
they wore leather caps bearing the cipher of Erbprinz Wilhelm vital in allowing Crown Forces to combat the riflemen
of Hessen-Hanau. The wearing of such caps was more employed by American revolutionary commanders. 47
 INDEX
References to illustration captions are shown Cuba, German prisoners to 35 Jäger 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22,
in bold. Plates are shown with page and Cuddalore, siege of (1783) 8–9 24, H1–3(32, 47), 37, 38, 38, 39, 40, 45, 47
caption locators in brackets. Jamaica, German troops to 35
Dachenhausen, Lt.-Col. Gustav F. von 6, 7
Anhalt-Zerbst forces 4, G1–3(31, 46–47), 36, deserters/mutineers 38, 39, 40, 41 medical personnel 8, 10, 20, 33, 34, 36, 37
40–43, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47 disease/malnutrition 35, 38 Mengen, Lt.-Col. Otto C.A. 11
Regt. Princess von Anhalt G1(31, 46–47), dragoons 15, 18, 47 Mexico, German prisoners in 35
40–42 drivers/wagoners 20, 34, 36 Minorca, defense of 6, 7, 8, 9
Ansbach-Bayreuth forces 4, 20, F1–3(30, 46), drum-majors/drummers 8, 10, 16, 18, 19, 20, Monmouth, battle of (1778) 38
H3(32, 47), 37–39, 38, 39, 46, 47 E1(29, 46), 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 Motte, Lt.-Gen. August de la 5, 7, 8, B1(26,
Regt. von Eyb/von Voit F1(30, 46), 37, 44)
38, 39 Ehrenkrook, Lt.-Col. Johann G. von 10, 12 musicians 8, 15, 16, 18, 35, 36, 40, 45
Regt. von Voit/Seybothen F3(30, 46), 37, Ehrenkrook, Maj. Carl Friedrich von 10, 44 musketeers 6, 7–8, 10, 14, 15, 15, 16, 17–18,
38, 39 Elizabeth (NJ), German troops to 35 19, 21, 22, 26, E2(29, 46), G2–3(31, 47),
armorers 8, 20 ensigns 7, 19, 33, 46 33, 37, 39, 40, 44, 45, 46, 47
Army of Observation 5 muskets 9, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13, 13, 15, 15,
artillery crews/forces 4, 8, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, Faucitt, Col. William 4, 12, 19, 34, 37, 40–41, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, C2–3(27, 45), D2(28,
23, D2(28, 45–46), F2(30, 46), 34, 35, 36, 46 45–46), 36, 36, 41, 41, 43, 45
37, 38, 39, 40, 45, 46 fifers 19, 34, 37
artillery pieces 8, 19, 20, 33, 34, 37, 40 45–46 Fort Bute, defense of 35 New Orleans, German prisoners in 35
auditors/clerks/paymasters 7, 10, 20, 34, 37 Fort Stanwick, siege of (1777) 21 New Rochelle, German troops to 34
Fort Ticonderoga, defense of 12, 12, 14, 45 New York, German troops to 4, 14, 21, 22,
Baton Rouge, fighting for 35 Fort Washington, fight for (1776) 35 34–35: garrison duties 22, D3(28, 46), 35,
Baum, Lt.-Col. Friedrich 11, 14 Free Corps of Light Infantry 19, 20, 22, 42, 43, 47; Long I./Staten I. 35, 38
bayonets 9, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13, 13, 15, 15, 16, D3(28, 46), H2(32, 47), 45 Newport (RI), German troops to 38
17, 18, 21, C2–3(27, 45), 36, 36, 39, 41, 43 Freeman’s Farm, battle of (1777) 14, 20
belly boxes 18, 22, D2(28, 45–46), H2(32, 47) Friedrich August, Lt.-Gen. Prinz 10, 40, 42, Oriskany, battle of (1777) 21, 24
Bemis Heights, battle of (1777) 11, 14, 20 43, 43
Bennington, battle of (1777) 11, 14, 45 pandurs 43, 45, 47
blanket rolls 18, 36, 39 Gall, Col. Wilhelm Rudolf von 20, A3(25, 44) Pausch, Capt. Georg 20, 46
Braunschweig, forces of 4, 10–18, 10, 11, 12, Gibraltar, siege of (1779–83) 4, 5, 6–7, 8, 9, Pensacola, siege of (1781) 35
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, A1–3(25, 44), B2(26, 44), 44 Philadelphia, evacuation of (1778) 38
C1–3(27, 45), H1, 3(32, 47), 44, 45, 47 Gneisenau, Lt. August Niedhardt von 37, 47 pistols 39, 43
Dragoon Regt. Prinz Ludwig 10, 11, 11, 14, grenadier companies 6, 7–8, 9, 10–11, 17, 19, Pistor manufactory 22, 36, 39, 43, 47
18, C3(27, 45), 45 F1(30, 46), 33–34, 37, 40, 41, 47 Plymouth, German troops to 8
Gren. Bn. von Breymann 10–11, 12, 14, 17 grenadiers 9, 10, 13, 13, 14, 14, 15, 17, 18, 22, polearms 9, 18, F2–3(30, 46)
Inf. Regt. Prinz Friedrich 10, 12, 12, 13, 13, D1(28, 45), E3(29, 46), F1(30, 46), G1(31, Portsmouth, German troops to 12, 20, 34,
14, 15–16, 20, C1(27, 45) 46–47), 33–34, 36, 39, 40, 41, 41, 43, 46 38, 41
Inf. Regt. Riedesel 10, 12, 12, 13, 13, 15, Potsdam-Spandau manufactory 18, 39
16, 44, 45 halberds 9, 22 provosts 8, 20, 34, 37
Inf. Regt. Specht 10, 14, 15, 15, 16, 44 Haldimand, Maj.-Gen. Sir Frederick 42
Inf. Regt. von Rhetz 10, 15, 15, 16, 17, 44 hangers B4(26, 45) Rauschenplatt, Col. 40, 41
Jäger Bn. von Barner 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, Hannover, forces of 4, 5–9, 15, 19, B1, 3–4 Rhetz, Maj.-Gen. August Wilhelm von 10, 18
C2(27, 45) (26, 44–45), 44 Riedesel, Maj.-Gen. Friedrich Adolf 10, 11,
Breymann, Lt.-Col. Heinrich von 10–11 Regt. de la Motte 6, 7, 9, B4(26, 45) 12, 13–14, 18, 20, A1(25, 44)
British Army forces 6, 11 Regt. Prinz Ernst 7, 8, 9 rifles 18, 20, 22, 24, H1–3(32, 47), 39, 43
broadswords 11, 18 Regt. von Goldacker 7, 8, 9
buglers 20 Regt. von Hardenberg/von Sydow 9 Sandy Hook (NY), German troops to 34
Bunker Hill, battle of (1775) 19 Regt. von Reden 7, 9, B3(26, 45) Saratoga campaign (1777) 4, 12, 14, 15, 18,
Burgoyne, Maj.-Gen. John 10, 14 Hanxleden, Col. Johann L.W. von 34, 35 20, 23, 24, C1(27, 45), 44, 45, 46
campaign (1777) 10, 13–14, 20, 21, 38 hautboys 16, 20 Schlepegrell, Lt.-Col. Bernhard W. von 6, 7
haversacks/knapsacks 9, 18, 22, E2(29, 46), Seybothen, Col. Johann Heinrich C.F. von 37
Canada, German troops to 11, 12, 14, 19, 20, 36, 39 Specht, Col. Johann F. 10, 18, A2(25, 44)
21, 33, 34, 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47 Hessen-Cassel, forces of 4, 10, 13, 19, 21, 22, Speth, Lt.-Col. Ernst Ludwig Wilhelm 10, 12
canteens 18, 22, E2(29, 46), 36, 39 23, 35, 44, 47 spontoons 4, 18, 20, 22, F3(30, 46)
Carleton, Lt.-Gen. Sir Guy 41 Hessen-Hanau, forces of 4, 12, 19–24, 21, 23, swords 9, 11, 11, 12, 15, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22,
cartridge boxes/pouches 9, 15, 18, 21, 22, 24, A3(25, 44), D1–3(28, 45–46), H2(32, 23, C3(27, 45), F3(30, 46), 35, 36, 36, 39,
E3(29, 46), 36, 39 47), 45, 46, 47 41, 43, 46
chaplains 8, 20, 34, 37 Regt. Erbprinz 19, 20, 21, 21, 22, A3(25,
ciphers, colors, crests, and flags 9, 13, 14, 18, 44), D1(28, 45), 35 Valcour Island, battle of (1776) 20, 46
20, 22, 23–24, A2(25, 44), C1(27, 45), E1, Howe, Lt.-Gen. Sir William 34, 38 Voit, Col. August Valentin von 37, 38
3(29, 46), F3(30, 46), H2(32, 47), 33, 35, Hubbardton, battle of (1777) 14
39, 39, 41, 43, 43, 44 Hugo, Col. Ernst August von 6, 7 Waldeck forces 4, E1–3(29, 46), 33–36, 35, 36
color-bearers 19, C1(27, 45), 33 3rd English-Waldeck Regt. 33–34, 35, 36,
Convention Army 14, 20 India, German troops in 4, 7–8 36
Cornwallis, Gen. Charles 38
48 Cramon, Capt. Christoph von 37, 38 Yorktown, siege of (1781) 38, 39, 46
OSPREY PUBLISHING Title-page photograph: Detail of the lock of a German musket captured at the
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc battle of Bennington. While German troops sometimes used British muskets,
Kemp House, Chawley Park, Cumnor Hill, Oxford OX2 9PH, UK most were equipped by their own state with weapons built at various German
29 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland manufactories. This weapon is based on the models used by the Prussian Army
1385 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA of the period. Though popular histories claim muskets were entirely inaccurate
E-mail: [email protected] over 100yd, many firefights during the American Revolutionary War took place at
www.ospreypublishing.com this range, or at even greater distances. (Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via
Getty Images)
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