"Hessians for Hire – Meet the 18th Century’s Busiest..." Topic

…"Mercenaries"

"GEORGE WASHINGTON'S LEGENDARY Dec. 26, 1776 surprise attack on enemy troops lodged at Trenton, New Jersey came as a welcome Christmas gift to the 13 rebellious American colonies.

While the storied pre-dawn raid by 2,400 Continental troops represented a major reversal in a war that had up until that moment been going badly for the Patriots, the triumph was especially sweet because of the loathsome adversary that was defeated that morning – the Hessians…"

Main page

link

Armand

"IN 1715, England's King George I hired 12,000 Hessians when war broke out with the Scots and French."

Really, why do they bother?

Tough, reliable troops is why they bother.

Plus way cheaper than maintaining a larger sized professional army! Hire when you need them, don't need to pay or feed 'em when you don't

My great grandfather (X times) was assigned to the Company of Lt. Col Johann Christoph Kohler, a Grenadier-Regiment that served under Col. Johann Gottlieb Rail. He fought at the battle of Washington Heights. They pursued the Continentals until they made it to Trenton, NJ for rest and refit. Then the crossing of the Delaware happened. He was captured and spent time in prison in Lancaster, PA. It is documented that he may have been in a prisoner exchange and was returned to service. He was the captured at the battle of Brandywine Creek while delivering a message from Battalion Headquarters to the line company. He then stayed in prison until paroled at the end of the war. He elected to stay and swore allegiance to the new United States and forfeited his holdings in Germany at that time.

I've often wonder weather the anti hessian thing was actually an just anti German King thing. I understand that George the third was the first King from his line who could speak English and then there is the whole nearly 200 years where the Royal family's keeps marrying German Royals.

dapeters – George I and II could speak English, George III was the first of the Hanoverian monarchs for whom English was his first language and didn't have a strong German accent.

To this day, posh people in Britain pronounce the word ‘yes' as ‘yah'.

This supposedly started when the courtiers of George I copied his German accent to curry favour…

Apparently G3 could read and write in both English and German by age 8. G1 and G2 were both born in Germany G1 learned English later life and I would assume that G2 did also.

Thanks.

Armand

Tough, reliable troops is why they bother.

Indeed, but that wasn't my point. It was more a reflection on hacks who can write about "England's King George I" at war with the Scots in 1715.

"posh people in Britain pronounce the word ‘yes' as ‘yah'."

That is a more recent C20th development; a casual rendering of 'yeah' or 'yup,' if you like. We can be sure that our dear Queen does not say 'yah' for 'yes'- any more than did her great-great-great grandmother.

"That is a more recent C20th development; a casual rendering of 'yeah' or 'yup,' if you like. We can be sure that our dear Queen does not say 'yah' for 'yes'- any more than did her great-great-great grandmother."

I can see how that might of been Awkward in the 40s.