"The Hessian Jägerkorps in New York and ..." Topic

…Pennsylvania, 1776-1777.

"In December 1775, British Colonel William Faucitt and Hessian minister Martin Ernst von Schlieffen drafted a treaty promising the Hessian Landgraf Friedrich II a large sum of money in return for soldiers.[1] The British had spent the fall of 1775 offering subsidies to German states of the Holy Roman Empire they were allied with in return for manpower.[2] The Germans who "were used to being sent outside their own country to server under foreign flags" were happy to oblige.[3] Many Germans were eager to fight in America.[4] When the treaties were finished and the call to arms went out across the German states, many men, especially from the State of Hessen-Kassel, volunteered. Those already conscripted did not complain much when they received word of their expedition to the colonies.[5] This is because the Germans had an "unfriendly disposition toward a people who rebelled against their rightful king," and were perfectly content with getting paid to fight such an enemy.[6]

The treaty with the German state of Hessen-Kassel was signed on January 15, 1776, and promised 12,000 men to the service of King George III of England.[7]Hessen-Kassel provided the British fifteen regiments of infantry, each with five companies of men, four grenadier battalions and two companies of Jäger (known as chasseurs or sharpshooters in English).[8] The Jäger in particular were in high demand.[9] Jäger, a German word that translates to "hunter" and can be used as both a singular and plural word, were recruited from huntsmen and foresters who were skilled in the use of rifled weapons normally used to hunt boar.[10] They were skilled shots, self-sufficient in battle, and swift, able to efficiently load and fire a rifle, a skill which took greater dexterity than firing the muskets of the day. Most importantly, they were valiant. Though the Jäger did not play a pivotal role in the American Revolution and suffered from the defeats of their regular counterparts, the actions of the Hessian Jägerkorps as a whole positively contributed to the British war effort. This was especially true in the campaigns in New York in 1776 and Pennsylvania in 1777…"
Full text here
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Amicalement
Armand

When the treaties were finished and the call to arms went out across the German states, many men, especially from the State of Hessen-Kassel, volunteered. Those already conscripted did not complain much when they received word of their expedition to the colonies.[5] This is because the Germans had an "unfriendly disposition toward a people who rebelled against their rightful king," and were perfectly content with getting paid to fight such an enemy.[6]

I would suggest that this is less than the whole picture. What is often not mentioned is that Hesse Cassel troops were traditional allies of the British, through every major European conflict going back to the late 17th Century. Riedesel, who commanded the Brunswick contingent in Canada, was himself a Hessian by birth, and had been posted to Scotland during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, as well as serving alongside British staff officers under Ferdinand of Brunswick, during the SYW.

In terms of the jaeger specifically, not many people – even those who are literate in terms of military history of this period – appreciate that, from late 1776 onwards, the Crown forces overall had more/bigger formal units of rifle-armed troops that their enemies.

"The Germans who "were used to being sent outside their own country to server under foreign flags" were happy to oblige."

Kind of a misleading statement there. The Germans, in fact, fought under their own flags, and were paid by their own country, and serving at the please of their own leaders. The continuing myth that they were mercenaries is completely incorrect.

A mercenary[1] is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities by the desire for private gain."

Not the case with the Germans sent to North America.

To tie into another post on Jager musicians, there is one pictures in the painting. Not sure of the accuracy, but he is not shown in any special clothing.

Nice to know I guessed right about no special uniform.
I would have liked a better look at the cords. Plain old white? Bummer.

Winston – I did post a reply, with some links to contemporary uniform plates, on your original thread.